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Revitalizing Homa Bay’s Fishing Hub
A dredger operates at Koginga Beach in Homa Bay on September 1, 2025 moving sand from the lake bed to improve navigation and ensure safer passage for vessels on Lake Victoria.
Koginga is a major fish landing site on the shores of Lake Victoria in Homa Bay, Kenya. It is an important hub for fishing and trade, supporting thousands of fishermen and fishmongers dealing in tilapia, Nile perch, catfish, and other species.
Despite its importance, the community faces serious challenges, including declining fish stocks caused by illegal fishing practices such as trawling, which destroy breeding grounds and threaten livelihoods. Safety on the lake is also a concern, with occasional clashes between fishing groups and inadequate rescue infrastructure.
To address these issues and modernize the sector, the government recently opened a state-of-the-art fish market at Koginga, complete with cold storage, hygienic processing facilities, ICT-enabled trading, and inclusive services designed to empower women and people with disabilities. While this development boosts the local blue economy and improves working conditions, social issues such as limited access to healthcare—for instance, low uptake of cervical cancer screening among women traders—remain a concern.
Overall, Koginga represents both the challenges and opportunities of Kenya’s blue economy: a vital economic and social hub striving for sustainability, safety, and inclusive growth.
Photos | George Odiwuor
Text | George Odiwuor
An overview of the Homa Bay modern fish market. Opened in May 2025, the facility features cold storage units, communal kitchens, and ICT-enabled trading systems, making it one of the largest and most modern fish markets in the Lake Victoria region.
Omena (silver cyprinid) traders at the Homa Bay Town Modern Fish Market on September 2, 2025. The small fish is a key source of protein for families in the lake region. The market, opened in May 2025, is disability-friendly and includes mother-and-child facilities to support women traders.
Vin Odeyo displays catfish for sale at the Homa Bay Town Modern Fish Market on September 2, 2025. The facility, which serves over 2,000 fishmongers daily, was designed to improve hygiene standards and reduce post-harvest losses.
Linnet Akoth fries Nile perch at the Homa Bay Town Modern Fish Market on September 2, 2025. Opened in May 2025, the market features cold storage, hygienic processing areas, and ICT-enabled trading to boost the local blue economy.
Homa Bay Town residents search for nyapus, a small fish species used as bait to catch larger fish, at Koginga Beach on August 30, 2025. The invasive weed that hinders navigation on Lake Victoria also offers economic opportunities for locals who put it to use.
Homa Bay Town residents wash clothes as others fetch water directly from Lake Victoria at Koginga Beach on January 19, 2025. A persistent water shortage in the town has forced many residents to rely on unsafe sources.
Traders fry fish at the Homa Bay Town modern fish market on September 2, 2025. They have called on the government to erect shade at the market to protect them from rain and sunshine.
Fishermen operate a boat at Koginga Beach in Homa Bay town on September 1, 2025. Nearby, the Homa Bay modern fish market, opened in May 2025, provides cold storage and hygienic processing facilities to support the lake’s fishing community.
