The Lake Victoria Environmental Management Project II has acquired modern boats and sesse canoes worth Sh100 million for lake management.
Environment Permanent Secretary Charles Sunkuli said the boats will used for fisheries patrol, research and rescue mission in Lake Victoria.
He said the boats purchased by LVEMP II are equipped with communication and monitoring gadgets for research and management of the environment.
Sunkuli said the boats will enhance lake management and fishing activities through research. They include two heavy utility boat and four sesse canoes.
He spoke during the inspection of LVEMP II Kenya projects in Kisumu, Homa Bay and Nandi counties on Wednesday.
The PS said the government has also purchased a Sh80.8 million water hyacinth machine to help in controlling the weeds.
Sunkuli said the machine will help in uprooting the hyacinth in the lake. He noted that the weed has disrupted fishing and transport services on the lake.
He said the weed harvester is already at the port of Mombasa and will arrive in Kisumu soon.
“We are going to use it to control weed on the lake in Kisumu, Busia, Homa Bay, Siaya and Migori counties," Sunkuli said.
The PS said the water hyacinth project had secured funding of Sh1 billion from World Bank.
National project Coordinator, LVEMP II Kenya, Francis Owuor said they have constructed three major water sewerage systems in Bomet, Kisumu and Homa Bay counties.
Owuor said they are focused to reduce lake pollution noting that the designs of two more sewerage systems are underway.
“We have put measures in place to ensure no effluents are discharged into the lake before treatment,” she added.