Fisherman drowns in Lake Victoria

Police officers remove the body of a fisherman, William Juma, who drowned in Lake Victoria, at Kananga Beach in Homa Bay county. [James Omoro, Standard].

A 55-year-old fisherman drowned at Kananga Beach in Homa Bay county during a fishing expedition in Lake Victoria.

The fisherman, identified as William Juma, accidentally slipped from the boat.

Residents believe that Juma who went fishing a lone was unable to swim and drowned.

His body was retrieved by fishermen on Saturday evening.

Juma reportedly left Kananga Beach on Friday night for a fishing expedition near Ndhuru Beach in the neighbouring Mbita sub-county, but he failed to return.

Odoyo Bati, a fisherman at Kananga Beach, said the deceased had finished fishing and was sailing back to the beach when tragedy struck.

Fishermen took hours searching for the body before they located it at the lake shore.

Juma reportedly did not have a life jacket.

"He did not put on a life jacket and that is why it might have been difficult for him to be rescued," Bati said.

Bati decried the inability of fishermen to afford life jackets. "We are appealing to the Homa Bay county government to help us to acquire life jackets," he said.

Arujo Location Chief Bob Lango told fishermen to avoid going into the lake after taking alcohol.

"We have been told that the deceased fisherman was drunk when he was going to fish. No one should consume alcohol when they are going into the lake. Drunkenness makes rescue difficult in case of an accident," Lang'o said.

The body was moved to Homa Bay County Teaching and Referral Hospital Mortuary.