It is 6am in Uhanya beach, Siaya County. There is endless human traffic, a cacophony of frenzied shouting from traders and fishermen, bargaining buyers and loaders with heavy luggage on their shoulders.
After a while, the activities are interrupted by a bell calling the fishermen and traders for a meeting. Christopher Okoth, a fisherman, rushes to the Beach Management Unit (BMU) office lest he be fined for not attending the assembly.
"You risk being fined for not attending the assembly. The fines range between Sh200 and Sh500," Okoth says.
According to the fisherman, this is one of the many by-laws that guide the operations of all the fishermen and traders at the beach, who confirm that breaking any of the rules is a punishable offence.
Other than failure to attend the assembly, Mary Achieng, a fish trader at Uhanya says fighting or landing in the wrong place also attracts penalties. So powerful are the BMU leaders that their word is law. Those who have crossed their paths have bitter tales to tell.
Established in 2007 through the Fisheries BMU Regulations, the administrative units have been tasked with managing resources in and around Lake Victoria.
Unlike before the enactment of the law where clan elders and local leaders controlled access to and use of fisheries by decree, BMU leaders are elected.
According to the Fisheries (BMU) Regulations, 2007, the executive committee of a BMU shall have not less than nine, or more than 15 members as provided for in its by-laws, who shall be elected by the members of the BMU.
For one to be elected, he or she must be a citizen of Kenya and hold a National Identity Card, valid passport or driving license.
Other than having no criminal record, a candidate must also be able to read and write, except for the secretary and treasurer who must possess at least a primary education certificate.
It is against this backdrop that the election of the BMU executive committee has attracted high stakes and rigorous campaigns.
Even though there is no salary for the elected executive committee, sources reveal that the candidates splash millions of shillings to run their campaigns, which are always influenced by external forces.
Julius Odembo, who is serving his third term as BMU chairman for Sika beach, says there are many privileges that come with the positions, such as training and donor funding.
Inside Lake Victoria's vicious extortion cartels
Margaret Ouma, one of the few women who have led the administrative units as chairperson, says there is a lot of betrayal among leaders.
Ms Ouma, who is currently a treasurer at Siungu beach after serving as chairperson for eight years, says some leaders always contest for such positions to amass wealth.
"We have instances where donors or government agencies bring support to the beaches but they end up in the chairperson's pocket and not benefiting the fishermen or the beach," she explains.
For Henry Oyamo, a former chairman at Honge beach, before co-management adoption, being a member of a clan was enough to earn entry to the fishery. Clan elders and local leaders determined when fishing could be done, where it was allowed and who could do it.
He says that today, local leaders seem to have lost this influence. From the BMU guidelines, regulations and the Fisheries Act, it is noted that they have not been allocated any roles in co-management.
"The local leaders played a big role in ensuring that the lake was preserved unlike today when fishing has been commercialised and is free for all," said Oyamo.
While acknowledging that management of beaches is no longer serving the interests of the communities around, Oyamo says it has turned into a money-minting venture where leaders are no longer answerable to the fishermen but to 'external forces'.
But behind strengthening the management of fish-landing stations, fishery resources and the aquatic environment, beach leadership is shrouded with betrayal, violation of laws and abuse of office.
Sources who spoke to The Standard accused a section of beach leaders of driving an intricate web of theft and extortion ring.
They have described arrests on the lake as a huge money-minting ploy as some officials work in cahoots with cartels to stage manage arrests while demanding kickbacks and fines.
The extortion ring is allegedly controlled by rogue police officers, money transfer agents, fisheries officials, traders and revenue officers, who mint millions from the trade.
According to a fisherman who sought anonymity for fear of reprisal from the cartels, the leaders have pledged allegiance to the rules of the network through familiarisation with kingpins, and new entrants are not welcome.
"Whereas we are demanded to pay at least Sh40,000 whenever our boats have been arrested by Ugandan authorities, we have established that some beach leaders are beneficiaries of such deals," said the source.
He said some beach leaders own boats and often collude with Ugandans and sometimes pirates to arrest or steal from their business rivals.
"This is how some leaders abuse their powers to drive their competitors out of business," he said.
In some instances, the beach leaders conduct unauthorised patrols in the lake, where they allegedly harass and extort fishermen.
While it is a requirement that the BMUs should give financial reports after every three months, Oyamo says most of the beaches have not been complying with this.
"Some beaches collect a lot of money from registration of boats, fishermen and landing fees, but there is never any accountability," he says, adding that most of the beaches are collapsing due to poor management of funds.
He says major landing sites generate more than Sh500,000 in a year but still lack facilities such as toilets.
Bondo Member of Parliament (MP) Gideon Ochanda attributed the unending insecurity on the lake to collusion between some unscrupulous fishermen, beach officials and pirates.
"In as much as it is sad that we are losing millions of shillings in paying fines to Ugandans for allegedly trespassing or using illegal fishing gears, there are some beach officials who are beneficiaries," said Ochanda.
The MP's claims are backed by local fisheries officials, who say that some beach leaders engage in illegal fishing activities.
