Traders shun costly local fish for Uganda’s fresh deals

Josephine Achieng' sells fish at Kisumu"s Jubilee Market on November 26, 2014. Despite the huge potential, fish accounted for only Sh2 billion of the Sh106 billion worth of exports to Europe last year. PHOTO | TONNY OMONDI

By  Patrick Lang'at

Reporter

What you need to know:

  • Ms Achieng’, who sells fish at Jubilee Market, said she and a group of other traders had invested in a pick-up truck that fetches fresh fish from Uganda every week.
  • Another trader, Ms Roselyne Odhiambo, who sells dried and smoked fish, said she gets hers from Lake Turkana.

Fishmongers are opting to get commodities from Uganda or as far as Lodwar, citing high prices and scarcity.  

Poor storage by Kisumu fishermen is also driving traders and consumers away, according to Ms Josephine Achieng’, who blames local fishermen and middlemen for the mess.

“Ugandan fishermen are using coolers to ensure their fish stay fresh. We cannot buy from our beaches because middlemen are given first priority and they end up quoting ridiculous prices,” she said yesterday.

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She added that they buy two large tilapia in Uganda for Sh280 while one in Kenya goes for Sh250

“The price can shoot up to Sh500, depending on the size of the fish,” she said.

FORGOTTEN BEACHES

Ms Achieng’, who sells fish at Jubilee Market, said she and a group of other traders had invested in a pick-up truck that fetches fresh fish from Uganda every week.

“We pay between Sh300 and  Sh1,000 for transport, depending on the amount of fish one has ordered,” she told the Nation at her stall  yesterday.

Another trader, Ms Roselyne Odhiambo, who sells dried and smoked fish, said she gets hers from Lake Turkana.

“Since we cannot get local fish, we buy from a warehouse at Kichinjio beach. That is where all the fish from Lake Turkana is kept,” she said.

She said she buys one fish at Sh130 and makes a profit of about Sh20. “It is what I can make because the fish take long to get here. I have to cater for that when pricing them,” she said.

Kichinjio Beach Management Unit chairman Michael Opiyo said the beaches had been neglected.

“The government no longer cares about what happens in Lake Victoria. We try to ensure some fish is left for traders in Kisumu, but that is very difficult because of the large number of middlemen. We have no power,” he said. 

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