In Mwanza City’s Mabatini-Buzuruga area, steep hillsides and unplanned settlements create a unique challenge: managing sewage is nearly impossible without reliable infrastructure. Houses cling to rocky slopes, and basic sanitation remains out of reach for many.

For 51-year-old Chacha Nyechi, who has worked as a toilet emptier since he was 14, sanitation work is both a livelihood and a challenge. “I’ve done this since 1988. One day, I slipped into a pit while working. You can’t do this job sober,” he jokes.

Chacha and his “toilet emptying specialists” earn their living by charging local households to empty pit latrines—a crucial service in a community with few alternatives.

A bird drinks from a polluted stream, highlighting Mwanza’s waste management challenges. Photo: The Niles / Said Sindo

In Mwanza’s Nyamagana District, Mabatini Ward is home to nearly 24,500 people, but only 23% have access to the city’s sewage services, which are managed by the Mwanza Urban Water and Sewerage Authority (MWAUWASA). This gap forces residents to adopt makeshift waste management solutions, which contributes to pollution in nearby water sources.

One such source is the Kenge River, which borders Mabatini and flows into the heavily polluted Mirongo River and eventually Lake Victoria. With limited access to clean water infrastructure, many residents depend on the river for essential activities such as washing clothes, preparing food, and bathing. However, this reliance comes with health risks, as pollution from waste has made the river a hazardous resource.

People engage in various activities along the Mirongo River—washing, fetching water, and using it as an open toilet. Photo: The Niles / Said Sindo

A 2023 InfoNile investigation found high levels of E. coli, lead, and microplastic in Lake Victoria, indicators of the region’s severe pollution issues. For the residents of Mabatini, however, the lake and rivers remain vital water sources despite these hazards.

Recognising these risks, MWAUWASA recently introduced a sewage system covering two streets within Mabatini Ward, connecting homes to a central treatment facility. While a promising start, most of the ward still awaits connection to safe sewage systems. Local leader Esther Dwashi Masanja donated stones from her property to aid the project, and resident Revina Audax hopes the initiative will improve sanitation and access to clean water.

New sewage infrastructure built by MWAUWASA connects households to a central treatment system in Mabatini South. Photo: The Niles / Said Sindo

Despite these efforts, areas like Northern Mabatini remain reliant on open pits, particularly during the rainy season, when waste is often washed into the Mirongo River. Anthony Msafiri, chairman of St. Benjamin Street, expresses his concerns: “When only part of the area has safe systems, everyone is still at risk of diseases like cholera.”

Clothes dry on rocks near the river, surrounded by litter and waste, showing the community’s dependence on this polluted water source. Photo: The Niles / Said Sindo

MWAUWASA has promoted ecological solutions to address these ongoing challenges, including urine-diverting dehydration toilets (UDDTs). These toilets separate waste for safe reuse, protecting local water sources and benefiting agriculture. Initiatives like the Lake Victoria Water and Sanitation Initiative (LVWATSAN) aim to support Mwanza’s gradual expansion of sanitation infrastructure.

A local leader, Esther Dwashi Masanja (67), expresses her satisfaction with new sanitation initiatives improving life in Mabatini South. Photo: The Niles / Said Sindo

Lawrence Samuel stands by the Nile River, reflecting on how much Juba has changed since he was born in the 1950s. Back then, Juba was a quiet riverside town; today, it is the bustling capital of South Sudan.

He recalls how families once gathered at the river to collect water, carrying it home in tin cans balanced on their heads. This daily ritual created a sense of community, with designated parts of the river for bathing and others for drinking, blending practicality with tradition.

Alongside drinking and bathing, the river also provides food, with fish as a part of resident’s diet.” Photo: The Niles / Samir Bol

Lawrence reminisces about neighbours supporting each other and sharing laughs as they collected water—a task that was also a social lifeline. But things are different now. With Juba’s rapid growth, there’s a high demand for clean water but no comprehensive system to meet it.

Street vendors after work, adapting to the city’s rapid growth and the mounting demand for essential resources like clean water. Photo: The Niles / Samir Bol

Lawrence also remembers when the government established a piped water system in the late 1970s and early 1980s, making access easier. However, that system no longer functions today, and residents rely on external sources.

Sizeable blue water tankers have become a common sight. These trucks provide water but serve as a reminder of the city’s unresolved water crisis.

Water tankers are filled to supply Juba’s residents with much-needed water. Photo: The Niles / Samir Bol

Resident Rabeh George Lado notes that after the 2005 peace agreement, water tankers became increasingly common with the arrival of more residents and foreign workers. The growing population raised demand, but it also highlighted the challenge of creating local jobs and ensuring self-sufficiency in water supply.

Edward Nagbong, who manages a water station, points out that about 90% of water transporters are from outside South Sudan. This reality raises questions about the country’s reliance on outside sources and the need for local, sustainable solutions to water access.

The streams that once supported the community for bathing, washing, and farming have faded from daily life, leaving only memories. With climate change and urbanisation, Juba now faces new challenges, as the Nile’s unpredictable behaviour tests the city’s resilience.

After heavy rains, little streams carry plastic waste and debris from the city, underscoring the strain on Juba’s waste management. Photo: The Niles / Samir Bol

With climate change, seasonal flooding now displaces residents near the river, forcing them to higher ground. Guerkek, a community near the Lado Mountains, regularly experiences severe flooding, which drives families from their homes during the rainy season.

The community’s strength emerges as people like Diana Nene and Henry Sule volunteer to help their neighbours, using boats to transport displaced families to safe locations. While such acts showcase solidarity, residents desire long-term solutions, such as reinforced embankments or improved drainage systems, to reduce future risks.

Rising water levels from the Nile pose challenges for communities as flooding affects the land and access to clean water. Photo: The Niles / Samir Bol

And outside of flood season, water access can be precarious. In Malakia, a construction worker named Rami John pays a dollar per barrel for water delivered over 3–4 kilometres. For residents with limited means, the high price of water places added pressure on their lives.

As August turns to September, the story shifts to those who depend on the river to sustain agriculture. In Bogor, farmer Joseph Akulang uses river water to irrigate his crops, underscoring the Nile’s ongoing role in supporting local farming, even amid climate challenges.

In Bogor, Joseph Akulang tends to his crops with water drawn from the Nile, reflecting the river’s enduring role in sustaining agriculture in Juba. Photo: The Niles / Samit Bol

Looking ahead, Juba’s water challenges call for innovative, sustainable approaches. Collaborative efforts to improve waste management, reinforce embankments, and expand local water infrastructure could strengthen resilience against flooding and secure cleaner water for all.

Initiatives like community-led water stations, support for local water tankers, and climate-adaptive agricultural practices offer pathways to a more self-sufficient and sustainable water future.

For Juba’s residents, the Nile will continue to be a source of life and opportunity, and with coordinated action, it can better support the community’s needs and growth in the years to come.

Just 15 kilometres from Goma, the provincial capital, Nyiragongo has become a temporary refuge for many fleeing violence—however, an acute shortage of clean water further strains their survival.

The scarcity of clean water compels camp residents to rely on contaminated sources, raising the risk of waterborne diseases like cholera and dysentery. These diseases spread rapidly in unsanitary conditions, worsening both the health and safety of displaced people. Clinics within the camps are overwhelmed, and medical supplies are dwindling.

“The situation is critical,” says a local aid worker who requested anonymity. “People are falling ill, and without access to clean water, conditions will only worsen. Our healthcare resources are exhausted, and many suffer needlessly.”

Lack of clean water further complicates basic hygiene, contributing to disease spread. Many families use contaminated water for cooking and washing, intensifying the health crisis. According to a recent WHO report (December 19, 2023), approximately two litres of water per person per day are available for Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), far below the recommended minimum of 15 litres. Since early 2023, more than 30,000 cases of cholera have been recorded in North Kivu, where over two million displaced people now reside.

Displaced families in Nyiragongo use contaminated water sources due to limited access to clean water. Photo: The Niles / Daniel Buuma

The financial burden of water

When water is available, it comes at a price many cannot afford. Displaced individuals pay 500 Congolese Francs (about USD 0.18) per jerry can—a substantial amount for families who have lost their homes and livelihoods.

“It may seem small, but when you have nothing, it’s a significant expense,” says Dushimwe, an 18-year-old Nyabanda displaced people’s camp resident.

Beyond the financial strain, residents often spend hours waiting in line for water, which could be used to find food or work. The burden of accessing water adds to the economic hardships that displaced families face.

The price of water poses a financial burden for displaced families in Nyiragongo. Photo: The Niles / Daniel Buuma

Residents’ struggles

“We have gone more than a week without clean water,” says Tushimwe, a resident of Nyiragongo’s camp. The water, often sourced from Lake Kivu in Goma and transported 15 kilometres to Kanyarutshinya, is difficult to access.

Another resident, Neema, shares her experience: “I wake up at 6 a.m. to fetch water, but by 11 a.m., I’m still waiting. Soldiers arrive and cut the line, bringing their jerry cans. We don’t know where to get water from NGOs, so many people walk up to two kilometres searching for clean water. It’s unbearable.”

Logistical and security challenges have disrupted water distribution. Even when water is delivered, it is often insufficient for the camp’s needs, leaving many residents without basic access.

Waiting in line for water is an arduous and lengthy process for many in Nyiragongo’s camps. Photo: The Niles / Daniel Buuma

Calls for international help

Displaced people in Nyiragongo urgently need support. “We need help,” says Andre, a resident of Nyabanda camp. Clean water is essential for survival, and we are running out of options.”

The humanitarian crisis demands immediate and coordinated action. Organisations and governments are being called upon to increase aid and implement sustainable solutions, such as establishing infrastructure for clean water access. Swift intervention is crucial to prevent further suffering and to support displaced populations as they rebuild their lives.

Residents plead for clean water and international assistance to address the crisis. Photo: The Niles / Daniel Buuma

Timely action is needed to prevent a health crisis

As conditions in Nyiragongo worsen, immediate action is crucial. Addressing the water crisis will alleviate the suffering of displaced people and help prevent a full-scale health catastrophe.

International organisations, local governments, and humanitarian agencies must collaborate to deliver emergency relief and long-term solutions. Without prompt intervention, the situation could escalate into a severe health crisis with devastating consequences for already vulnerable displaced communities. International support is vital to uphold the basic human right to clean water and to avert further humanitarian disasters.

Meeting the needs of Nyiragongo’s displaced people is challenging. Photo: The Niles / Daniel Buuma

It’s a bright morning by the riverside. Golden sunlight filters through, illuminating River Kuja’s flowing waters in western Kenya while early birds chirp along its banks. A gentle hum of village life begins to stir as smoke rises from cooking fires and the sounds of greetings float through the air. The community is waking up, and each member plays a part in life along the banks of River Kuja.

A young woman does her domestic chores along the shores of River Kuja. Photo: The Niles / Curity Ogada

As the sun climbs higher, its warmth spreads over the lush greenery of the riverbanks, bringing wildlife and villagers to life. Among them is Mary Akinyi Obunga, a 68-year-old water seller from Wath Ong’er. Known for her cheerful disposition, Mary brightens everyone’s day with her talkative nature and presence.

Mary Akinyi, 68 years old, is on her way to River Kuja to fetch water for sale to hotels and homes in Wath Ong’er. Photo: The Niles / Curity Ogada

Mondays are especially busy in Wath Ong’er as townsfolk prepare for Tuesday’s market day, a significant weekly event. Traders from Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda converge here to buy and sell livestock, woven goods, food products, and more. For over two decades, Mary Akinyi and her friend Mary Achieng Nyakore have supplied water to this market, transporting it from the river using donkeys.

Mary Akinyi and Mary Achieng Nyakore, both primary water sellers in Wath Ong’er, transport water from the River Kuja on their donkeys. Photo: The Niles / Curity Ogada

The mighty River Kuja and its people

River Kuja flows through multiple communities before reaching Wath Ong’er. It originates in the highlands of Kiabonyoru in Nyamira County and is known among the Kisii as River Gucha. As it reaches Migori County, the Luo call it River Kuja and its final destination is Lake Victoria.

Mary Akinyi, fetching water from the shallower ends of River Kuja. Photo: The Niles / Curity Ogada

According to local stories, the name Kuja reflects both the good and bad things brought by the river; in Swahili, “Kuja” means “come.” The river converges with the Migori River and flows vigorously into Lake Victoria.

Wath Ong’er, located in Nyatike Sub-County within Migori, is at the heart of Kenya’s southwestern region. The journey from Migori town to Wath Ong’er spans 40 kilometres over relatively good terrain, though dust covers some roads leading into the market centre.

A vein of life

Mary Akinyi Obunga has followed the same path for twenty years, transporting water from River Kuja to the market centre. “This water business has educated my children, fed my family, built me a home, and now pays for my grandchildren’s education,” she says with pride. She calls her work “willing buyer, willing seller,” charging KSH 10 (USD 0.07) per jerrican. On each trip, Mary’s five donkeys carry four jerricans each, amounting to 320 litres.

“This river is the only water source for the community. We bathe, wash, drink, and even fight by its banks,” says Mary. Photo: The Niles / Curity Ogada

Despite her age, Mary is physically fit, energetic, and well-respected by her community. Her customers say she’s like a thread weaving through Wath Ong’er, always knowing what’s happening and where.

Mary’s friend, Mary Achieng Nyakore, delivers water to a family near the market. Photo: The Niles / Curity Ogada

Mondays are particularly hectic, and her son, Joseph Aloo, who lives with a disability, often helps meet the demand.

The ripple effects of River Kuja’s water

Pamela Akinyi Mirima, a 37-year-old widow with four children, owns a small hotel near the river. Market days bring her a steady flow of customers, and she relies on Mary’s water deliveries to keep her business running. “Mary has been supplying me with water for 20 years; she’s like a mother to me,” says Pamela.

Mary is well aware of the risks associated with untreated river water. She uses purifiers at home and urges others to do the same, though many in the community continue to use the water directly from the river despite the risks.

Mary Akinyi pours water into a customer’s storage tank. Photo: The Niles / Curity Ogada

In response to waterborne illnesses, CARE Kenya distributes water purifying sachets weekly through the Wath Ong’er Dispensary, helping households reduce contamination.

Purifying sachets, distributed weekly, are a common sight in Wath Ong’er. Photo: The Niles / Curity Ogada

A resident, Joseph Onyango Ayaki, highlights the dangers of mining waste contaminating the river. “We have zero clean water. Diseases grow and worsen over time,” he says.

The Maji Safi water kiosk

The Maji Safi (Clean Water) Kiosk initiative was introduced with rising health concerns. Using a sky hydrant filter, the kiosk purifies and sells river water cheaply. Joyce Onyach, 53, a local advocate, helped establish the kiosk through partnerships with Siemens Foundation and CARE.

Mary Akinyi at the Maji Safi Kiosk. Photo: The Niles / Curity Ogada

“I wanted to provide clean water to my community,” says Joyce. The initiative has reduced cases of waterborne diseases and provided a safer alternative to river water.

A gateway to disaster

The backflow of Lake Victoria has led to frequent flooding, with contaminated waters damaging homes and displacing families. In 1997, El Niño rains altered River Kuja’s course, and climate change has since increased the frequency and impact of such floods.

Backflow from Lake Victoria encroaches on homes near the lake. Photo: The Niles / Curity Ogada

Simon Awidhi from the Water Resources Users Authority warns that gold leaching and pollution from upstream mining worsen the river’s condition. Meanwhile, the Red Cross and local volunteers help relocate families to higher ground during floods.

Fish sellers await larger catches as fishermen arrive from Lake Victoria. Photo: The Niles / Curity Ogada

Dr. Jane Macharia, a research scientist, explains that the backflow disrupts fish breeding, threatens biodiversity, and contaminates riparian lands, leading to waterborne disease outbreaks.

Flooding displaces families, with backflow waters seeping into homes. Photo: The Niles / Curity Ogada

A glimpse of hope

Despite the community’s challenges, River Kuja continues to flow steadily into Lake Victoria, sustaining and endangering those living by it. Residents urge the government to develop solutions to manage backflow and prevent recurring displacement.

Today, Mary Akinyi returns from the market with a greater profit than usual. Her donkeys are laden with empty jerricans after a successful day. She walks home alongside her son, carrying the weight of her community’s resilience and hope.

Mary Akinyi and her son head home as the day ends. Photo: The Niles / Curity Ogada

At Masese Landing Site, just outside Jinja in eastern Uganda, boats arrive laden with goods as porters work tirelessly, hauling crates and supplies to keep this essential trade route alive. This bustling scene hides the unseen hardships faced by those who make it possible.

For men like 26-year-old George Kafuko, a porter at the site, Masese represents a lifeline and a daily struggle. Hundreds of porters, working without protective gear or job security, bear the weight of the local economy—both literally and figuratively—often under life-threatening conditions.

The risks of Masese

Masese Landing Site has long been a vital regional link, supporting the local fishing industry and connecting Uganda to inland trade routes. For many, like Kafuko, it’s the only source of income. Born and raised nearby, he lives just a few hundred metres from the site with his young son, while his wife works abroad in Oman. “Masese is my mother,” Kafuko says. “I depend on her for everything, even in the most challenging times.

But life as a porter here is risky. Littered with broken glass, fish bones, and other hazards, the site exposes workers to frequent injuries and infections. Porters like Kafuko often wade through polluted water without protective clothing or footwear. An injury means no work and, thus, no income. “I’ve seen friends hurt by broken bottles; some can’t work for days or even weeks,” Kafuko says.

Despite these risks, he persists, driven by the responsibility to support his son and household. On a good day, Kafuko might earn 40,000 Ugandan Shillings (USD 11), but his earnings can drop as low as 5,000 shillings (USD 1.50) on difficult days.

A glimmer of hope

Efforts to address these challenges at Masese are under consideration. Improved waste management—such as placing more bins and organising clean-up campaigns—could help minimise injuries. Access to essential protective gear like gloves, boots, and durable clothing is also critical. Community efforts, including donation drives or partnerships with local businesses, could help porters work more safely.

Health services are another area of need. A mobile clinic near the landing site or a basic health insurance scheme for informal workers could relieve porters of medical costs. The idea of porter cooperatives is also gaining traction, offering potential financial support, savings programmes, and a platform for advocating better conditions.

Building a safer future

Small personal changes could also make a difference for porters like Kafuko. Establishing a savings fund, even a modest one, could enable porters to invest in their protective gear over time. Diversifying income sources through side businesses, such as selling snacks at the landing site, could provide more financial stability.

Masese Landing Site remains a lifeline for the local economy but at a steep cost to the porters who sustain it. These men, carrying the loads at Masese, hold the future of their community in their hands. By addressing the immediate needs of safety and health, there is hope for a safer, more stable future for those who call Masese home.

Kafuko dreams of a day when he doesn’t have to choose between his health and livelihood. Until then, he will keep working, bearing the weight of Masese and hoping for better days ahead. The story of the porters is a call to action—for safer working conditions, fair wages, and recognition of those who carry the economic weight of their communities.

Married at just 13, Mary Akinyi Ouko joined the community in Kisian as a child. For the last six decades, she has spent in this community, Ouko and her family have been deriving their livelihoods from the River Kisian.

“To be honest with you, I have no idea where this river comes from,” says Ouko. The River Kisian River originates from Maragoli Forest and is surrounded by the catchments of Riat and Kodiaga hills in Kenya’s Kisumu District.

Ouko is sure of one thing though: this river means everything to her and the community. It is the community’s water source for drinking, cooking, washing, farming and livestock keeping. It has served their great-grandmothers, who passed it on to them, and now they pass it on to their grandchildren. It has been like an oasis that keeps giving, never relenting when needed.

The farmers in Kisian grow vegetables, maize, sorghum, beans, green grams and cowpeas. They use water from the River Kisian for irrigation. Hundreds of farms line up along the banks of the river. The chiro (community market) is swamped with produce from nearby farms and gardens that farmers, businessmen and women display every evening for sale.

“I once invested in agriculture when it was clear I could not get a job after university. I needed to fend for my family. Farming along the river helped me get water easily to irrigate my fruits and vegetables, which I would sell to the market women at a profit,” says Francis Oduor, a former farmer and Egerton University graduate.

But the so far flourishing agricultural and economic activity in Kisian is at stake, as the suitability of the land for irrigation and agriculture is an arising matter given the pressure on the finite resource.

Human activity takes its toll

In 2015, the Nile Basin Initiative (NBI) Secretariat (Nile-Sec) conducted a Strategic Water Resources Analysis (SWRA) intending to develop sustainable options for satisfying the growing water needs of the Nile riparian countries, including Kenya, and mitigating the current and future water stress.

The study found that expansion and intensification of agriculture are crucial for ensuring food security, improving livelihoods, and reducing poverty in the basin. Improving irrigation facilities is considered a key strategy to enhance agricultural productivity.

According to the study, in Ethiopia, Kenya, Sudan and Tanzania, the irrigated (cropped) area is less than the area equipped for irrigation due to a mismatch between the available water supply and the demand.

In an NBI technical report entitled ‘Mapping land suitability for irrigation in the Nile Basin’, NBI classifies the River Kisian area as “marginally to moderately suitable for irrigation”. The report evaluated land suitability by assessing the soil and terrain, topographic slope, and various physical and chemical soil properties.

Human activities, including deforestation and cultivation along River Kisian, are leading to an increase in water temperature, conductivity, total suspended and dissolved solids, and turbidity, according to Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institute (KMFRI).

Resource / 
Deforestation 101: Everything you need to know

Animal overuse of riparian areas has also been found to increase ammonia and nitrite due to increased runoff of animal wastes into streams. Near-stream human activities like sand mining, bathing, laundry, and row crop agriculture have significantly influenced stream habitat and biotic characteristics.

Over the years, the banks of River Kisian have been subjected to large-scale sand harvesting, leading to significant soil erosion during heavy rains or flooding. River Kisian is known to break its banks during such seasons, but landslides tend to cause widened banks because of harvested banks.

The area receives bimodal rainfall, with one short season from October to December and a long rainy season from March to July. During periods of heavy rain, the upper catchments of the river experience exceedingly high rainfall causing the river to flood excessively, breaking off its banks and inundating low-lying farmlands.

Besides sand and rock, clay soil harvesting is another economic activity degrading the River Kisian environment. Intricate and delightfully carved pots are some of the pottery made from the clay soil harvested from the river banks.

“So many women rely on pottery to feed their families. Clay harvesting has been in our community for years! A few years ago, some potters were buried inside the quarry as they carved out clay,” says Mourine, a resident.

Clay harvesters are often tempted to dig deeper into the banks of the river as it is believed that they can find more refined, softer, and better clay there. The tunnels and quarries they leave behind are susceptible to being washed away by runoff and often collapse.

Children who have to cross the river every day to go to school are also at risk as the bridges are on the verge of collapse and the footpaths have eroded. Despite the visible damages, soil harvesting continues due to a lack of employment alternatives and poverty.

“These sand harvesters are not evil people. They are people we know. They have no jobs. How else are they supposed to support their families?” says a woman fetching water near the slopes of the eroded banks, who prefers to stay anonymous.  

When asked how she gets down to the river and up again, she answered: “I am used to it, but it becomes more and more difficult getting water from this side of the river due to the slopes. When it rains, we cannot even come close to these banks – it is a death trap.”

“We have lost so many of our livestock through this river. If a cow slips in, especially during floods, it is impossible to pull it out. We watch the cows die. Our children are at so much risk as well,” she explained before embarking on the seemingly dangerous uphill climb to her home with a jerrycan of water balancing on her head.

Arising water quality issues

As much as everyone in Kisian knows that activities like sand harvesting cause many of the problems they face, putting a halt to it isn’t easy. People engaged in sand, rock and soil harvesting have outwitted the authorities. When patrolled by the National Environment Authority (NEMA), the lorries that fetch the sand during the day switch to operating at night.

Despite the state ownership of sand under the Mining Act, the exploitation of sand in Kenya seems to have gone rogue. In her 2021 research on Kenya’s sand harvesting and sustainable development, Caroline Njoro states that “free access especially to public lands (rivers and coastal shores) creates a situation of low risk and low cost for a product that is in high demand, thereby creating a competitive race to the bottom scenario”.

“There is no incentive for sand harvesters or dealers to manage or conserve the resource. Any conservation measure equally suffers from the free rider phenomenon. There is currently no way of accurately tracing the provenance of sand resources, hence creating a loophole for illegal sand mining,” Njoro further writes.

But Kenya’s ‘Principle of sustainable use’ clearly states that “environmental resources will be utilised in a manner that does not compromise the quality and value of the resource, or decrease the carrying capacity of supporting ecosystems”.

Besides erosion, the sustained harvesting operations affect the river’s water quality. “Excessive harvesting of sand in the River Kisian has majorly interfered with the turbidity of its water and led to the loss of the flora and fauna that used to thrive in the water,” explains Linet Andiego, Water Quality Scientist and former NEMA Water Quality section team member.

Sand plays a vital role in purifying and maintaining clarity in water bodies. When sand is harvested in large quantities, too little is left to filter the water, and chemical fertilisers and insecticides used by farmers along the river banks easily find their way into the river. The runoff alters the water’s pH value.

The rise or drop of the pH value of a river plays a significant role in the survival of the aquatic animals and plants, causing aquatic losses, explains Andiego. The pH variations also affect the families using untreated water, the livestock that drinks it and the crops irrigated with it.

Erosion and pollution caused by increased farming and livestock keeping, clay and sand harvesting have led to massive degradation of the Kisian riverbank ecosystem, affecting animals and plants that previously thrived in and along the river. Once a popular source of fish, the most common being the catfish locally known as ‘Mumi’, fishing on the River Kisian has stopped.

A glimpse of hope?

Just before the River Kisian drains into Lake Victoria, it passes through a small community named Rota. There, the riverbanks have been rebuilt using stone walls and water dikes to withstand erosion and flooding during heavy rains. Sand harvesting has stopped.

James Alai, an 85-year-old Kisian community elder, calls for urgent action to restore the river by borrowing ideas from Rota and deploying additional measures. Some members of the Kisian community have, for example, invested in planting bamboo on the eroded banks of the river.

Bamboo helps with soil bio-engineering. Using bamboo to control soil erosion is a technique that has proven successful worldwide by utilising bamboo’s traits and mechanical abilities as cost-effective means for slope stabilisation and soil erosion control.

“Bamboo grows very fast and covers a wide place because of their nature of growth. They [bamboo] help protect the soil through cover, reducing erosion and maintaining the microbial balance. They also help in soil nutrient balance and reduce water logging,” says Andiego.

Alai and others in Kisian community members have understood the urgency to take action to mitigate the devastating consequences of overexploiting the water resource.

But a handful of people taking action isn’t enough to restore the River Kisian ecosystem and its once thriving biodiversity. Only a collaborative effort by many can save and maintain the River Kisian and numerous other vital ecosystems across the Nile Basin.


This story was produced in June 2022 by InfoNile and Media in Cooperation and Transition (MiCT) in collaboration with the Nile Basin Initiative (NBI) and with support from the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, commissioned by the European Union and Federal German Government.

Uganda’s fishing communities are exploring novel, hygienic methods to process silver fish or ‘Mukene’, to penetrate new markets and enhance people’s nutrition. These tiny fish are now being dried on elevated racks, and the implementation of solar tent dryers is thought to further boost the quality of the dried product, particularly during the rainy season.

This shift in practice is most notable among fish processing groups at Lake Victoria, inspired by the training received from NutriFish.

This project is promoting the nutritional content of silver fish and the need for safeguarding their quality during processing. “The rain, sometimes starting as early as ten in the morning”, can deter customers from buying and lead to significant losses in sales, says Teraza Wilimina, a member of the Kikondo women’s fish processors group.

Amanna Bashir, another Lake Victoria fish processor, notes an improvement in her business. “I was drying my fish in the sun and managed to sell only two crates a day. But, since the solar tent drier was built, I’ve seen an improvement and been able to sell up to five crates a day,” she reports.

However, the fish consumption and production shift is not solely due to improved processing methods. NutriFish, funded by the International Development Research Centre, Canada and the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research, has also launched radio campaigns to educate the public about the nutritional benefits of silver fish.

This educational push seems to have affected some fishermen like Musa Odwoka at Lake Albert. “I thought I could not eat small fish when I am a fisherman, and I spent a lot of money on buying tilapia and Nile perch for my family.”

However, he adds, “The training made me realise that these small fish are quite nutritious and good for the body.” This shift, he further explains, has allowed him to allocate more funds for his children’s education.

Jackson Efitre from NutriFish points out that while these are promising developments, much work remains to be done. Recent statistics from the Uganda Demographic and Health Survey indicate a high prevalence of malnutrition among children under five years old and women of reproductive age. Encouragingly, there has been a 30% increase in silver fish consumption, a source rich in micronutrients like iron, zinc, and calcium, since NutriFish’s initiatives.

Another outcome of NutriFish’s work is the emergence of entrepreneurial initiatives. Eunice Muwanguzi, inspired by the project, now operates a small business drying and selling silver fish. She earns around USh120,000 (US$32) daily, primarily from clients in Kikondo and towns like Jinja and Kampala.

Despite these promising developments, challenges remain. As the project nears its end, there is concern about the continued need for more solar tent driers and the high costs associated with their construction. Nevertheless, Micheal Aloya, the district fisheries officer in Pakwach District, remains hopeful, “We have seen private partners coming in who are interested in helping them.”

In a remarkable development for Uganda’s fisheries sector, stakeholders along the fish value chain can now access comprehensive real-time fisheries data from Lake Albert and Lake Victoria. This game-changing access is made possible through a mobile app called the electronic Catch Assessment Survey (e-CAS). By utilising this app, lake management officials, researchers, policymakers, and others can effectively make well-informed decisions to manage fisheries.

The e-CAS app simplifies data collection by engaging trained data collectors who collaborate with fishers to update the app seamlessly. Valuable information such as fish catch quantity, fishing nets and boat types, and projected earnings can be easily recorded. The system can accommodate extensive data sets, including fisheries surveys, aquaculture, socio-economics, and marketing. By harnessing this technology, Uganda’s fisheries can be developed sustainably, fostering wealth creation, employment opportunities, and food security.

Before the e-CAS app’s introduction, data collection from fishers relied on cumbersome paper-based surveys. It was a time-consuming task that often took weeks before official agents could compile the information. Ocakacon Muhammed, a trained data collector based at Lake Albert, explains, “Before the app, we used papers to ask questions to the fishers. It was a tiresome job because it took a lot of time and could take weeks before an official agent would collect the files.”

This archaic system often led to inaccuracies in data. Peter Enyou, an enumerator at the Kikondo landing site on Lake Victoria, highlights the problem, stating, “With the paper system, someone could just sit at home and guess where a boat had been and what fish were caught, but with the e-CAS technology and GPS coordinates, even the head office in the city knows where the boats are, so enumerators cannot make it up.”

Since its implementation, the e-CAS system has consolidated over 12,000 data records, providing a centralised and easily accessible repository of vital fisheries information. Patrick Bwire, the systems administrator at the National Fisheries Resources Research Institute (NaFIRRI), explains the significance, stating, “Previously, it would take two days to assess the boats and fish physically landed to estimate fish stocks. Moreover, the manual approach incurred an annual cost of around Ugandan Shillings 400 million (USD 106,340) for the government. With e-CAS, the cost has been reduced to approximately Ugandan Shillings 80 million (USD 21,270).”

The successful development of the e-CAS app began in 2021 through collaboration between NaFIRRI and regional research institutes in Tanzania and Kenya under the coordination of the Lake Victoria Fisheries Organization (LVFO). Recognising the app’s potential, the NutriFish project in Uganda, funded by the International Development Research Centre, Canada, and the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research, adopted and tailored e-CAS to suit the local context.

Jackson Efitre of the NutriFish project explains, “e-CAS was piloted at six landing sites on Lake Albert under NutriFish and later expanded to three landing sites on Lake Victoria in 2022.” The customised app has proved instrumental in real-time data capture, analysis, and timely reporting, leading to improved fisheries management, sustainable fish catch monitoring, informed licensing of new boats and fishers, and increased availability of fish for local food security.

The implementation of e-CAS has also significantly contributed to the preservation of fish stocks in the lakes. Bwire emphasises its importance: “e-CAS allows us to determine if the lake is being overfished. For example, if one boat used to catch 10 kilograms of fish, and now there are five boats catching only 3 kilograms each, it indicates overfishing. In such cases, the fishers can be relocated to other areas.”

Additionally, lake managers can instantly access data on the value of fish landed and estimate revenue at specific landing sites, enabling more informed decision-making for effectively enforcing fishing regulations.

The comprehensive data collected through e-CAS includes crucial details such as boat types, gear sizes, working days of fishers, and specific fish species landed. Basooma elaborates, “We want to know the type of boat, the gear size that was used, if it is a small seine net [a net that hangs vertically], what is the mesh size, how many days do the fishers work in a week, and then we want to know the species or the type of fish that has been landed. So, if it is Mukene in Uganda, or Dagaa in Tanzania, or Omena in Kenya, we want to know how many basins [crates] and what they are earning from that fish.”

These figures provide essential insights for researchers and government bodies, such as the Directorate of Fisheries Resources and the Fisheries Protection Unit, to accurately evaluate the fishing industry’s value and assess potential overfishing in the lakes.

Building on its success, NaFIRRI and the Directorate of Fisheries Resources plan to expand the e-CAS system to cover all Ugandan lakes. Moreover, as the LVFO partnership has already established the technology in Tanzania and Uganda, it will be easier for other countries, including the Democratic Republic of Congo, which shares Lake Albert with Uganda, to adopt this transformative technology.

In a world filled with uncertainties and conflicts, media coverage has always been under fire amid discussion about whether it fuels or alleviates disagreement. This also holds for the coverage of Nile Basin affairs in its 11 riparian countries.

The words of the renowned Austrian-American journalist Henry Anatole Grunwald highlight the urgent role of honest reporting. “Journalism can never be silent: that is its greatest virtue and its greatest fault. It must speak, and speak immediately, while the echoes of wonder, the claims of triumph and the signs of horror are still in the air.”

According to Dr. Allan Bomuhangi, a Climate Change and Natural Resources management expert, the media play an essential role in shaping governance – if it is well balanced. “Suffice to mention is that it’s a powerful agent of democratic accountability. The government are held accountable to its citizens,” he says.

Through the media, Dr. Bomuhangi says, voices of the marginalised are heard and consequently inform the government’s policy agenda. It is also critical in ensuring stability and conflict reduction in conflicted areas. He added that areas like the Nile Basin benefit from “the promotion of improved debate, dialogue and tolerance in fragile or conflict-affected societies”.

Kagire Edmund, a Rwandan journalist, underscores the need for neutrality in reporting issues about the Nile. “As a neutral party, the media has the power to discern between a lot of misinformation on Nile issues,” he says, referring in particular to the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), located on the Blue Nile in Ethiopia in the Benishangul-Gumuz region – about 30 kilometres upstream (east) of the Sudanese border.

“Journalists have to avoid propaganda and taking sides regarding the Ethiopian or Egyptian narrative,” Kagire says. “The media can play a vital role in helping the masses understand the background and the whole issue.”

Juma Kirya, a reporter with Uganda’s Nation Media, says reporters can help educate citizens of the Nile Basin, letting them know that the Nile can be used without damaging it: “We can educate the masses to use the Nile while conserving it so that others can equally benefit from it.”

With its tributary basin spanning Tanzania, Kenya, Burundi, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, the White Nile flows downwards through Uganda, South Sudan and Sudan, where it joins the Blue Nile, with its source in Ethiopia, before making its way to Egypt.

The Nile works as an energy source for most countries in the basin. And its water is vital for domestic purposes, factories and irrigation. The basin’s water resources are home to many fish species, providing food for millions of people. The river also forms the habitat for various other animals – crocodiles, hippos, and other reptiles. Its shores are home to hundreds of bird species.

“The Nile shouldn’t be owned by anyone. It’s for us all. It’s about humanity,” says Adams Mayambala, who works for See TV in Uganda. He argued that conflicts should be resolved by amicable discussion when they arise.

Concerning Nile controversies, Egyptian Journalist Amira Sayed, a senior reporter at The Egyptian Gazette newspaper, says that the politicisation of water issues has put extra pressure on journalists. She said it is a hard beat due to a lack of neutral information.

Dr. Agaba Abbas, the Secretary-General of the African and Arab Youth Council, says journalists in the Nile Basin have to avoid “irresponsible” reporting. “Media should care about people’s reaction but not blow things out of proportion,” he says. “We need equitable utilisation of the River Nile resources that each of the peoples of the Nile Basin can benefit from it, for it has been given to us. We just live around it.”

For his part, Edmund Kagire cites the Kinyarwanda saying: “Issues of a household are resolved within the household.” He says he believes the issues of the Nile Basin can always be resolved among member states so that all members can equitably benefit from the Nile.

Provision of resources is also crucial in nipping future conflicts in the bud, according to Marwa Tawfik, a prominent journalist at the Egyptian state-run newspaper Al-Ahram: “If we provide resources for everyone, there will be no conflicts.”

Changing the narrative

The Nile Basin Initiative (NBI) is an intergovernmental partnership of ten Nile Basin countries, namely Burundi, DR Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda. Eritrea participates as an observer. The all-inclusive basin-wide institution was established on February 22, 1999, to provide a forum for consultation and coordination among the riparian countries for the sustainable management and development of the shared Nile Basin water and related resources for win-win benefits.

In 2010, five NBI members adopted the Cooperative Framework Agreement (CFA) treaty. The document outlines principles, rights and obligations for the cooperative management and development of the Nile Basin water resources. Rather than quantifying ‘equitable rights’ or water use allocations, the CFA intends to establish a framework to “promote integrated management, sustainable development, and harmonious the utilisation of the water resources of the Basin, as well as their conservation and protection for the benefit of present and future generations”.

Egypt and Sudan declined to sign the agreement. As a consequence of this disagreement, Egypt suspended its full participation in the NBI. As Nile controversies gathered pace, so did training programmes for journalists in the Nile Basin. Through its programmes and courses, the NBI has taken centre stage in this regard, supporting constructive and professional narratives on transboundary water issues.

Marwa Tawfik, who specialises in African affairs and water and environmental issues, believes that the workshop she attended with NBI in 2014 was a milestone in her career journey. “It was a real moment of opportunity,” she said, describing the workshop with Mohamed Wadie, a senior journalist at the Sada El-Balad website, Nile TV Presenter Mona Sweilem and others.

Tawfik recalled that the workshop was followed by several other courses in Jordan, tackling water and its management, especially in the North African region, which is grappling with freshwater scarcity. Attendance was from across the Nile Basin countries, encouraging a diversity of perspectives.

“This helped me get acquainted with different viewpoints and share knowledge in fields related to water and the environment. Spontaneous face-to-face meetings helped lay the foundation for constructive dialogue,” Tawfik remarked, adding that it offered new networking opportunities.

Journalists, according to Tawfik, are in charge of highlighting the problems facing their countries, such as pressing topics like water and food security and climate change.

The NBI workshops have also helped create strong relationships at work and beyond, despite the different ideologies of participants. It allowed the trainees to share knowledge and co-report stories.

Tawfik recalls a situation with a colleague called Florence Abolot from Uganda, who she knew through the NBI and who came to Cairo to report about water quality. “Myself and my colleague, Mohamed Wadie were pleased to help her gather information and meet the sources, whether within the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs or in the Ministry of Irrigation,” she recounts.

“I am also sure that if any Egyptian journalist travelled to any Nile Basin country, our colleagues we met in the courses would do the same,” she says.
 
The NBI also provides field visits for its trainees, which is essential for comprehensive coverage of issues. “For example, if you want to write about the sources of the Nile in Uganda, you have to visit it first,” Tawfik said.

Helping reporters visit different NBI member countries opens up new perspectives to understand the Nile controversies. In turn, this helps provide nuance to the many stereotypical portrayals of the region.

Sayed is glad that she has attended some media training and workshops that have helped her better deal with controversies surrounding the Nile, including one organised by the Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI) in Ethiopia in 2019.

She called the workshop timely as it helped her write better stories about controversial issues surrounding the GERD. “For Egypt, this dam poses a serious threat to its water security. For Ethiopia, the dam is a vital source of electricity which is in dire need,” she said.

By interacting with Ethiopian colleagues, she understood “the other side of the story. We met many international experts who dealt with the Nile file from scientific perspectives throughout the workshop. They presented their recent papers and research, helping us know more about the technical points related to the dam,” Tawfik adds.

She says it is journalists’ responsibility to give readers accurate and unbiased information. “The programme provided me with new tools for reporting despite a lack of information. I started to deal with this file from a new lens,” she says.

Many reporters benefit from uniting experts from all NBI member countries to discuss intrinsic issues surrounding the Nile. But, says Tawfik, there must be political will from all NBI partners for a peaceful solution to equitable use of the Nile.

“The media cannot do anything if there is no genuine political will to solve problems and reach a compromise and solutions that do not harm the people,” she concludes.

About three years ago, there was a steady flow of fishermen arrested and some even killed on Lake Albert and Lake Edward – lakes with rich fish stocks shared by Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

Fishers, sometimes with the backing of security forces of their respective countries, engaged in bloody and quite often deadly fights over the sharing of fish from the transboundary lakes.

In 2018, for example, some 12 Ugandans, including soldiers and civilians, were shot dead by Congolese militia operating on Lake Albert. Reports indicate that the deadly attacks were in retaliation for the crackdown and arrests made by Ugandan security officers against illegal fishing on the lake by Congolese fishermen.

An investigation conducted in 2018 found that over 200 Congolese fishermen had been detained in Ugandan prisons for illegal fishing or illegally crossing into Uganda’s territory.

Today, however, members of the two fishing communities tell a different story. It is one of peace, cooperation, and improved trade and collaboration at the highest levels of government and among the fishing communities.
 
High ranking officials from either side of the Rift Valley’s Western Branch have invested their energy, time and money into ending the causes of earlier clashes. They have also sought to ensure that the temporary peace holds.

A lot of the credit is being given to a project that has helped build bridges between the two countries using several initiatives, including providing platforms for dialogue between leaders from both countries.

Dubbed the Multinational Lakes Edward Albert Integrated Fisheries and Water Resources Management Project (LEAF II) project, the USD 24 million investment was the brainchild of the Nile Equatorial Lakes Subsidiary Action Programme (NELSAP), a subsidiary of the regional body the Nile Basin Initiative (NBI) which brings together ten countries that host the Nile River and its catchment.

The pilot version of the project started in 2016, and it ran between 2018 and 2021.

The move was inspired by the need to end the rampant exploitation of fish resources in both lakes by competing communities from both countries. Fisheries experts from Uganda’s government and NELSAP insist that the overexploitation of the fish from both lakes was the main driver of the insecurity.

“Because of the rampant use of illegal and indiscriminate fishing methods, fish stocks became depleted in both Edward and Albert. Fewer and fewer fish, coupled with so many people depending on the lakes for food and livelihood, meant competition over fish was always bound to trigger more conflict,” said Stephen Ogwete, the former Uganda Country Coordinator of LEAF II.

He notes that the project was designed to halt illegal fishing practices by, first of all, harmonising the policies and laws governing the sector in both countries.

“We realised that what we considered illegal in Uganda was not necessarily illegal in DRC and vice versa. So in order to stamp out illegalities, we needed to have uniform standards in the policies and laws,” recalls Ogwete.

With an estimated 10 million people living around both lakes, with 70 percent of that population depending on fish for survival, the project sought to ease pressure on the lakes by giving people alternative sources of livelihood.

“Most of the landing sites had inadequate fish handling facilities. And many didn’t have access roads. This meant that they were getting a fraction of the estimated value of the fish they were catching from the lakes,” says Ogwete.
 
The project sought to boost the industry by improving fish handling at nine sites in both countries to raise the value of the fish and hence the incomes of the people who depended on them.

A 2019 Catch Assessment Survey jointly conducted by Ugandan and DRC officials revealed that fishers from both countries had caught as much as 440,000 tonnes of fish in one year. This was equivalent to more than USD 400 million.

“This shows that, even with the decline in fish stocks, the industry was very lucrative and hence a source of conflict,” says Ogwete.

With a combination of loan and grant funding from the African Development Bank and the Global Environment Facility, LEAF II tackled the differences in the laws and policies by gathering officials from both countries around the discussion table.

The talks involved the fisheries protection enforcement agencies from both countries, as well as technocrats from the ministries responsible.

After several discussions and lobbying by NELSAP and the LEAF II implementing experts, relevant government officials from DRC and Uganda finally met in Munyonyo, Kampala, on October 20, 2018, and signed a bilateral agreement for the sustainable management of fisheries and water resources of Lakes Edward and Albert.

The agreement recognised the right of each country to equitable access and utilisation of the water and aquaculture resources sustainably. This agreement formed the first step towards harmonising policies and laws that experts wanted to use to stamp out illegal fishing practices that had sparked conflict.

Some of the pillars of the bilateral agreement included joint fisheries monitoring, control and surveillance activities supported through the deployment of patrol boats (two for each country), as well as the construction of surveillance stations on both lakes.

The bilateral agreement further provided for the harmonisation of fisheries and aquaculture policies and laws. It included creating a joint fisheries data collection and information management system to ensure decisions on conservation and development are taken based on accurate information.

Most importantly, perhaps, the agreement provided for establishing a Transboundary Lakes Edward and Albert Basin Organisation.

A new regional body is born

According to Joyce Ikwaput Nyeko, the Acting Director of Fisheries in Uganda’s Ministry of Agriculture, creating a permanent institution was a milestone in safeguarding progress and a tool to help resolve outstanding or new challenges.

Expressing joy at the outcomes of LEAF II, Nyeko says: “We agreed that even after this project (LEAF) has ended, we shall continue working together because we saw that by working together, you can address these issues of illegalities that were the main causes of insecurity.”

Nyeko told The Niles about outstanding discrepancies in the laws and policies that need to be harmonised to bring uniformity in the implementation of laws. She says, in January 2022, both Uganda and DRC leaders invoked the relevant articles of the bilateral agreement to enable the organisation to start work.

Nyeko further says that the organisation is set to start work in the first half of 2022, a time when Ugandan authorities are expected to have provided office space in Entebbe – where it will be based. DRC will name the first Executive Director of the organisation.

Besides establishing an institutional framework for greater cooperation and addressing policies and legal frameworks, LEAF II recorded several achievements on the ground that have improved the lives of ordinary people.

Ogwete says that before the project commenced, the fishing industry in both countries was on the verge of collapse due to excessive competition. “We discovered that before the advent of the project, three factories had closed in the space of three years due to dwindling fish in Lake Albert resulting largely from the use of inappropriate gear.”

Besides the waning size of the catch and the insecurity, conditions surrounding fish handling as well as the livelihoods of the fishers were also deplorable.

“Before the project started, only 11 percent of the 120 fish landing sites had a modern handling facility. Only 21 percent had a public toilet. Twenty-four percent had portable water, and only 70 percent were accessible by road. The rest didn’t have market access,” Ogwete quotes a 2018 survey carried out across both lakes.

At the end of the project, nine landing sites from both countries (five in Uganda and four in DRC) had been modernised. The landing sites were equipped with portable water for washing fish and use by the community. Women, who previously dried their fish on the bare ground, were provided with fish drying racks. The project further built fish smoking kilns and built 21 kilometres of feeder roads to improve market access.

Kyansi Henry, the village chairman of the Rwenshama fish landing site in Rukungiri District of South Western Uganda, commended the project for improving the lives and access to the market for their fish.

“This was a good project. We were using water directly from the lake. And we didn’t have places to wash or dry our fish. This negatively affected the marketing of the fish. Now we’re able to get a good price because traders find the fish is clean,” says Kyansi.  

Ogwete adds that an evaluation study found that the project had led to a 21 percent increase in processed fish on Lake Edward and a four percent increase in processed fish on Lake Albert.

Alternative livelihoods created

Besides boosting the fishing industry by providing water and access to roads for greater access to the market, the project created alternative sources of livelihood, mainly targeting women and youth.

From aquaculture to goat rearing, beekeeping, soap making, chalk making and several other income-generating ventures, the alternative livelihoods programme touched over 100,000 lives, helping to provide 45,000 jobs.

The introduction of aquaculture or fish-rearing in the lakes and empowerment of communities through training and provision of start-up capital was particularly central to saving the lake from the pressure facing the lake in search of fish.

As Ogwete remarks: “Cage farming on both lakes has the potential to produce up to 41,000 tonnes of fish. Because it is a capital intensive undertaking, it means that if commercial investors went into this business, the ordinary man can be assured of getting a fish with a hook.”

The project didn’t stop at demarcating potential areas for aquaculture; it supported communities from both countries to pilot aquaculture by providing cages, start-up capital and know-how of aquaculture.

Experts from the Jinja-based National Fisheries Resources Research Institute (NaFIRRI), which evaluated the aquaculture venture, found out that those initiated to the business were successful and wanted to take it forward.

Praise from youth and women

The youth and women introduced to alternative livelihoods like chalk-making and goat rearing reported being happy with their new opportunities.

Akiiki Apollo, a 23-year-old university student who sells smoked fish at Bwera market on the Uganda-DRC border, says the construction of fish smoking kilns and fish drying racks has contributed to better fish prices.

Akiiki further points to the provision of financial literacy training amongst youth and women groups as having improved their businesses.

“The project gave us saving boxes, counter books and trained us in financial management affairs. The children and wives of fishermen no longer eat all the money as they used to,” says Akiiki.

Chamim Sarah, one of the women who dry and sell Muziiri (a small but very nutritious type of fish) at the Mbegu fish landing site in Hoima District of Western Uganda, says: “Nowadays we have a lot of customers and the prices of Muziiri are better because it is dried on racks and remain whitish and clean while those dried on the bare ground are brown and full of sand.”

The way forward

It is anticipated that the spirit of cooperation and goodwill exhibited by leaders of both countries will create a conducive environment for the smooth operation of the Transboundary Lakes Edward and Albert Basin Organisation.

This comes when the two countries are enjoying unprecedentedly cordial relations, as shown by an ongoing military hunt for the Allied Defence Forces (ADF) jointly conducted by the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) and the Congolese military.

The government of Uganda is also funding the construction of three roads with a combined length of 223 kilometres inside DRC territory.

President Yoweri Museveni’s government has rebuffed criticism from his opponents that he ignores national priorities by investing in another country. Museveni has argued poor roads undermined the considerable market potential in Eastern DRC that Uganda seeks to explore.

Other initiatives, such as the ongoing construction of high-voltage power lines by NELSAP that will dispatch electricity from Uganda to Eastern DRC towns such as Bunia and Butembo, are further signs of improved relations between the two neighbouring countries.

The acquisition of a modern research vessel by Uganda and the promise to set up research stations in both countries promise to improve decision making based on scientific data to ensure sustainability.

It is the view of Nyeko that things can only get better. “When the permanent Lakes Edward and Albert Basin Organisation kicks off, we shall start by harmonising our policies and legal framework on fisheries. It is also my hope that when this is done, we shall discuss other things such as how to develop our navigation.”