County engages youths in making fertilizers using water hyacinth

Parts of Lake Victoria which is highly invaded by water hyacinth in Homa Bay Town. [James Omoro/Standard]

Homa Bay County will soon turn the stubborn water hyacinth weed in Lake Victoria into profit.

Youth and Culture executive Roselyne Odhiambo said plans were on to train youth to make manure using the weed.

“Water hyacinth is a serious obstacle to many economic activities in Lake Victoria. We intend to seriously engage our youths in turning it to manure and other useful products,” said Ms Odhiambo.

She said the exercise was mainly geared towards removing the weed from the lake and opening the water body up for transport and effective fishing activities.

The youth are also expected to use the weed to make baskets, furniture and other items for sale.

Odhiambo said her office had received proposals from youth on how to rid the lake of the weed and she was sampling to have the better of them implemented with help from the county.

Joint effort

She said the engagement would be done through a joint effort of all 10 departments of the county government, which want the lake cleaned.

“I urge youths to be positive in using the weed for economic gain,” Odhiambo said.

The department acting Chief Officer Francis Guma said the county would seek money from governmental and non-governmental agencies to promote blue economy in the Lake Basin.

In that regard, 1,000 bamboo seedlings were set aside for youth to plant to help conserve the lake environment. “Bamboo is a good source of income, as it can be used to make various household items. It also helps in formation of rainfall and protection of water sources,” said Dickson Nyawinda, the Water and Environment executive.

The county officials spoke on the sidelines of this year’s Lake Region Youth Convention on Sustainable Blue Economy at Homa Bay High School.