Kisumu: The Lake Victoria Aquaculture (LVA) Association has sounded an alarm after yet another mass fish death along the Kisumu shoreline, blaming the absence of an enforceable regulatory framework for the worsening crisis in the sector. The Association accused the State of regulatory paralysis following the suspension of the Fisheries Management and Development (Aquaculture) Regulations by the High Court in December 2024.

According to Kenya News Agency, the rules, contested by farmers, were shelved pending review but ten months later, no alternative guidelines have been enacted. “Aquaculture is a vital pillar of Kenya’s blue economy, but without a clear and enforceable regulatory framework, the sector cannot thrive,” said Pete Ondeng, Secretary of the LVA Board. He emphasized that the government must move with speed to gazette new regulations as promised before more farmers are forced out of business by the repeated crises.

LVA Chairman Ochieng’ Mbeo stated that the persistent fish kills are not isolated accidents but the predictable outcome of government complacency. “What we are seeing is the price of inaction. By leaving the industry in limbo, the State is undermining food security, choking off investment, and destroying livelihoods for thousands of Kenyans,” he said. He added that a task force appointed by Blue Economy Cabinet Secretary Ali Hassan Joho to review the regulations concluded its work months ago and handed in recommendations, yet despite promises to withdraw the disputed rules and replace them with a new framework, no regulations have been gazetted.

Adding to the urgency, scientists say many of the recurring problems, from poor cage placement to unsustainable stocking densities, are precisely the issues a regulatory framework would resolve. Dr. Christopher Aura, Director of Freshwater Systems Research at the Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institute (KMFRI), noted that cages in shallow waters below six to ten metres faced higher risks of oxygen depletion and sudden upwelling. According to Dr. Aura, KMFRI has already developed a suitability map identifying safer sites, but without enforceable rules, farmers continued to operate in high-risk zones.

Over the weekend, hundreds of mature tilapia were found floating dead in cages at Dunga Beach, Kisumu, in the latest devastating loss. Farmers reported more than 60 cages wiped out, with losses running into millions of shillings. Similar incidents have been recorded from Usenge in Siaya to Nyachebe in Homa Bay. Experts have consistently traced the deaths to oxygen depletion, pollution, and overcrowding in unsuitable sites.

“With mounting losses across the lakeshore, the absence of regulations is no longer a technical gap; it is a crisis threatening the future of aquaculture on Lake Victoria,” the Association warned. The LVA reiterated their willingness to partner with the government in fast-tracking fair, inclusive regulations that protect farmers while safeguarding Lake Victoria’s fragile ecosystem.