A British company is planning to invest in the Lakeside region, in a bid to fight water the hyacinth in Lake Victoria.
Speaking on Tuesday morning when he paid a courtesy call to the governor of Kisumu County, British high commissioner to Kenya Nic James Hailey said that the company will use water hyacinth to produce biogas.
He said that the company is still in discussion with the ministry of energy about the modalities of the project.
“It is my hope that a British Company called Equinox Power will surely be investing in the Lake Victoria Region in Western Kenya to harvest water hyacinth and then turn that into biogas which will then generate electricity,” he said.
On his part, Kisumu County Governor Jack Ranguma welcomed the initiative; given the fact that water hyacinth is a major stumbling block to fishing activities and water transport in Lake Victoria. The lake covers a major portion of Kisumu County.
According to www.ecy.wa.gov, water hyacinth is listed as one of the most productive plants on earth. On the other hand, it is also the worst aquatic plant due to its ability to form mats that interfere with navigation and irrigation.
The plant is common in Lake Victoria.
Lake Victoria covers parts of Kisumu, Siaya, Homabay and Busia Counties in Kenya and then in Uganda and Tanzania.