The Kenya Maritime Authority (KMA) has announced plans to set up a Maritime Regional Communication Centre (MRCC) in Kisumu to respond to emergencies on Lake Victoria.
This follows a spate of boat accidents in the lake which have claimed hundreds of lives due to poor rescue mechanisms.
Mining, Blue Economy and Maritime Affairs Cabinet Secretary (CS) Ali Hassan Joho said the project, being jointly implemented between Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania, targets to install navigation tools and a modern communication network in the lake for quick response in the event of an accident.
Joho said the centre, to be constructed at the Kisumu Pier, would be equipped with modern facilities, boat ambulance and speed boats to aid in the management and evacuation of victims.
The facility, to be linked to search and rescue centers in Busia, Migori, Siaya and Homabay, would also operate with other MRCC’s in the region for redundancy and complementary operations.
Speaking at the Kisumu pier during a visit to the project’s site, Joho who was accompanied by Maritime Affairs Principal Secretary (PS) Geoffrey Kaituko said the government was committed to fast tracking the project to guarantee safety of fishermen and travelers in the lake.
The PS said the centre would coordinate rescue operations on the lake in collaboration with Uganda and Tanzania as the government moves to revive transport linking the three countries through the lake.
With the measures to enhance safety in the lake in place, the government, targets to scale up exploitation of blue economy activities in the lake to create employment for the youth and boost inter- county and inter-country trade, he added.
Kaituko said the government would work with the fisher folk Cooperative Societies to empower fishermen to acquire fibre boats which were safer, to reduce the number of accidents in the lake.
The PS further said that the Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) has donated land to KMA for the project and procured additional land for the project, which he noted would be a game changer for transport and operations in the lake.
He said a contractor had been identified and would soon be handed the site for construction works to begin.
The PS said KMA was banking on the massive project to revive lake transport which collapsed three decades ago.
“We have been directed by President Dr. William Ruto to introduce a new vessel in the lake to open up transport,” he said.
The vessel, he noted, would be operationalized soon to boost inter county travel while reopening old routes from Kisumu to Mwanza, Bukoba and Jinja.
By Chris Mahandara
