At least 100 women in Litare Beach in Suba North Constituency, Homa Bay County in Kenya have been empowered with fish-cages worth KSh 11 million. The women from four groups within the region received fish-cages from Echo Network Africa (formerly Kenya Women Holding) to broaden the base of their trade and also improve their living standards.
Speaking during commissioning of the equipment, Teresia Wakahia, an official the of Echo Network Africa, said the program was aimed at empowering vulnerable women working in the fishing industry.
“Our aim is to empower vulnerable women in the fishing industry who have been depending on boat owners for fish to engage in fish caging as an economic activity to sustain their daily income,” said Wakahia.
Wakahia said the equipment had been loaned to the women who were expected to offset the credit facility over time adding that the organisation had also given the women fingerlings and fish feeds to kick off the venture.
According to Wakahia, the resources had the elevated status of the women from small scale fishmongers to mass producers of the delicacy which is common in Kenyan homes and eateries.
In a move to ensure the venture was profitable, Wakahia revealed the organisation had also trained the businesswomen in financial management.
County Executive Committee Member (CEC) for Agriculture and Fisheries Aguko Juma lauded the initiative and encouraged the women to embrace fish-caging to boost their income instead of depending on boat owners who were sometimes unreliable and exploitative.
“In the past few months, we had suspended the investment of cages in Lake Victoria. However, when we heard this initiative was women-centred, we had to rethink and review our initial decision. The cages that we have installed today can carry between 35,000 to 40,000 fish each. The fish take up to six months to mature,” the CEC stated.
Juma regrated that female fishmongers and fisherwomen had for long suffered under shackles of a section of fishermen who make sexual advances of them.
The infamous Jaboya or sex for fish culture is a sexual relationship between fishermen and female fishmongers that guarantees supply of fresh fish or discounted rates of the commodity.
“We know some of them have even been sexually harassed but they cannot speak out for themselves because of fear. Such kind of initiatives will offer our women as a sense of independence from rogue fishermen,” said Juma.