By Winsley Masese
The Gembe Hills roll towards Lake Victoria making a captivating scene against the giant Rusinga Island.
The two, which were formerly apart now converge, thanks to the Mbita Causeway, which was built in 1983 at a cost of Sh4billion.
Traders and residents go about their business on part of Mbita town’s main road. |
The sun-baked islands and hills around Mbita Point stare at the ebbing water, as though pleading for it to go up to quench their dryness.
Along the shore on a disused gangplank are a number of boats and dugout canoes. Women and children also wash clothes and utensils by the shore.
Small passage
In the words of Mr Dede Weke, 82, Mbita in Dholuo means a small passage from one island to another.
"Before the building of the causeway, there was a small body of water that we used to access the other side," explains Weke.
Traditionally, Mbita is the collection point for fish from as far as Mfangano, Remba, and Ringiti islands before they are transported to various destinations via Homa Bay.
This exercise starts at 4pm, after which the fishermen visit various social joints, to unwind after the day’s catch is brought ashore.
Along the roadsides women sundry omena (dagaa) and mgongo wazi (remains of fillet).
One also notices many women who seem to be doing nothing in particular.
Locals say they are twilight girls eyeing the earnings of fishermen.
Mbita has been listed in several HIV and Aids research reports as a high point of infection due to a trend now termed "sex for fish".
The sight of fish and smell its fresh and rotten aura in the air has been a big blessing for the Mbita community.
But, ironically, Dede says most of the residents cannot afford fish, given its skyrocketing prices.
"A kilo of fresh Tilapia or Nile Perch goes for Sh120 and the middlemen who deal with it target big town centres, where they fetch good prices. He we can only afford omena and obambla (dried fish)," says Dede.
Night life
But business still thrives by day and by night.
"Mbita residents seem not to sleep as social places come alive at night," says Juma Onyango, a waiter in one of the pubs.
He says fishermen always have some money to spend.
It is regarded as the ‘happy land’ of Southern Nyanza that has entrapped many a visitor to not leaving its embrace.
Many who come here to work are met with a local saying, Mbita asayi, roughly translated as: "Please, Mbita, do not trap me with your merriment".
The free lifestyle is the main cause of the spread of the HIV and Aids, residents say.
This leaves Suba District with the dubious reputation of having the highest HIV and Aids prevalence in Nyanza Province.
"Because of the scourge, there are many orphans and widows, attracting the sympathy of well wishers. As a result there is a high number of NGOs in the area," says Suba DC Harun Odino.
Despite the high returns many residents get from the fishing industry, Odino says the HIV prevalence is eroding the gains made.
Sociable people
Mbita is also home to the Thomas Odhiambo campus of the International Centre for Insect Physiology and Ecology (Icipe).
The late Prof Thomas Risley Odhiambo (1931-2003) was a reputable researcher. This is the largest research centre on insects and plants while the Nairobi office performs administrative roles.
Mbita boasts several schools, the most famous one being Mbita High School.
A small sub-district hospital is also located within the town. The district hospital is in the neighbouring town of Sindo, 17km away.
Mbita Point has a population of 8,000 people that is rapidly growing and urbanising.
The DC describes the town as peaceful and inhabited by a sociable people.
"Most of the youth spend much of their time in the lake and have little time to engage in crime," says Odino.
He says traders have set up many small businesses to serve those who rely on fishing.
Although the fishing industry generates a lot of income the culture of saving and investing among residents is poor, laments the DC.
However, the establishment of Equity and Co-operative banks could soon change this.
Residents are slowly becoming ardent savers and investors, says an Equity Bank official, who sought anonymity.
"There is a lot of money from fishing and we are currently educating residents through seminars to encourage them to save and even take loans," says the banker. He says the main hindrance to banking for residents in remote islands is lack of transport.
"Those living as far as Ringiti use Sh1,200 to commute to and from town. They can’t go back until the next day, hence have to spend more. That way, many shy away from saving, but we are doing everything to embrace the culture," added the source.
With numerous islands, the breathtaking Lake Victoria and rolling hills, the town has great potential as a tourist destination, if plans to put up more modern hotels take off.
