14 August 2019: SITREP

SITREP : Leaders decry insecurity in Lake Victoria.

The local leadership now wants the Kenya Coast Guard Service to take a lead role in securing the Lake Corridor.

According to the leadership, incidences of piracy is emerging, including a growing conflict between neighbouring security apparatus/soldiers with local fishermen.

When marine Officers (port police) are asked to patrol the lake, the officers alude to lack of fuel to patrol the lake landscape.

 Assessment

This vacuum alone is enough Evidence that the Kenyan side of the water body,  being controlled by the port authority has emerged as ungoverned space.

It is a fact that ungoverned spaces are fertile grounds, thats feeds into unstable geopolitical environments, and entrenched Illicit activities

The leadership of the region has raised concerns on the emergence of piracy, extortion associated with rogue law enforcement, and  other maritime threats.

There's a need to reconfigure the region's security arrangements towards a community centred approach.

The Authority also has to play it's, and audit the quality and integrity of its footprint at the Kisumu port and other piers, whether it's arrangement are in the interest of developing the lake transport Corridor, or it's an arrangement designed to further 'isolate and disregard the interest of the lake basin communities. KPA's failure to appreciate the late will only result in hostility towards the Authority, and undermine government objective to develop the corridor, amidst the perception of the 'capture'of the port apparatus by Illicit NETWORKS scattering crime from Nairobi Inland Container Depots, and Mombasa port.


https://youtu.be/j7nVbO-w74I