Ugandan East Africa legislative committee on the use of Lake Victoria has pledged their country’s commitment to ensure sustainable use of the shared East African Lake.
During their visit to Migori County, the committee chairperson Abot George Ouma noted that Lake Victoria is a big resource to Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania and it should properly be used for the development of the three countries.
He said this could only be achieved through working together to ensure that pollution and use of unwanted fishing methods were avoided so that the three countries could benefit from it.
Abot also spoke of the committee’s role on planned open borders and same currency to ease trade among the three countries and promised that they would relook at the laws that governed trade in those countries having in mind that the marine transport is soon going to be re-launched.
Speaking on the same, Migori County Governor Zachery Okoth Obado said that governors of the Lake Region Economic Block have agreed to use the lake for prosperity of their people and that they have been championing for the use of the lake as a mode of transport.
Obado emphasised on peace among the three countries to help them achieve their goal of sustainable use of Lake Victoria and also said that the water catchment areas mainly the Mau forest must be preserved.
The five member committee are on their visit to the Kenyan five counties bordering Lake Victoria namely Migori, Kisumu, Homa Bay, Siaya and Busia.
Lake Victoria Region Local Authorities and Counties Corporation is an umbrella body that has membership from Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania
By Geoffrey Satia and Richard Otieno
