The county government of Kisumu has announced plans to exhibit the revered Omieri snake during the upcoming 2024 fish fiesta.
Scheduled to take place from April 25th to 27th at the Jomo Kenyatta Sports Grounds, this year’s festival promises a blend of cultural immersion and entertainment, with Omieri’s presence adding a touch of mystique to the event.
Kisumu County Executive Committee Member (CECM) in charge of Trade, Tourism, Industry and Marketing Farida Salim said arrangements have been made to exhibit the snake which is preserved at the National Museums of Kenya in Nairobi.
Omieri, she said will be part of the key attractions at the Luo heritage tent during the festival where a host of other artifacts and culture will be showcased.
“We are working on bringing Omieri back to Kisumu so that it is part of the fish fiesta festival 2024. We want to give people an opportunity to relive the memory lane and know where we have come from as a people,” she said.
Salim said over 5, 000 visitors are expected to grace the event which will be officially opened by Tourism Cabinet Secretary (CS) Alfred Mutua.
This will be the second time the preserved remains of the 16ft python are being exhibited to the public in Kisumu 37 years after she died in a bush fire at Nyakach in Kisumu County.
The snake was valued and revered as a bearer of good luck with its sighting associated with rain and bumper harvests.
In addition to Omieri’s exhibit, she said the 2024 Fish Fiesta which is Kisumu County’s tourism signature event will have an array of activities and attractions among them boat racing, fish eating competition, cultural dance, and Mr and Mrs Tourism pageant.
Visitors, she added will be treated to the best Luo cuisine besides being taken through all the processes along the fish value chain.
“The event targets to celebrate our culinary art. Fish is cooked and eaten in different ways but quite several people don’t know how to do it. This is something we are very passionate about and will be showcasing it during the fiesta,” she said.
The culture associated with fishing, fish production, and fish as food, she said will be on display alongside breakaway sessions with various stakeholders in the blue economy sector.
Auditions for the festival, she said will be held in Muhoroni on the 23rd and 24th of March, Nyando on the 30th of March, Kadibo 31st of March, Kisumu West 6th of April, Seme 7th of April, Kisumu East on the 13th of April and Kisumu Central on 14th April.
A boot camp has been organized for winners in all the categories between 21st April- 25th April ahead of the main event.
“We want to use this event to nurture and grow talent and at the same time boost community tourism,” she said.
Trade, Tourism, Industry, and Marketing Chief Officer Bovince Ochieng said the breakaway sessions involving experts in fisheries and the blue economy will discuss issues affecting the sector and come up with resolutions and recommendations to the government.
Among the issues expected to take center stage, he said include the dwindling fish stocks in Lake Victoria, fish harvesting, fish value chain, and modern fish production methods.
The experts, he added will take a look at the fish species that existed in the lake more so those that are extinct, and come up with modalities of restocking the lake.
By Chris Mahandara
