Naivasha fishermen, block road to protest over arrest

Fishermen in Lake Naivasha.[File, Standard]

Transport along the Naivasha-Mai Mahiu Road in Naivasha was temporarily paralysed after foot-fishermen blocked it to protest the arrest of their colleagues by officers from the Kenya Coast Guard Services.

During the incident near Kihoto estate, roads were blocked using boulders.

Tens of motorists were caught up in the incident before police moved in and dispersed the protesters, and the flow of traffic resumed.

Trouble started after the Coast Guards arrested the five illegal fishermen during a sting operation and recovered illegal fishing gear.

According to Naivasha OCPD Wilson Sigei, the protest was thwarted fast and the illegal fishermen repulsed into the nearby Kihoto estate.

He said that the five arrested suspects were among tens of youths who have been illegally fishing in the lake whose levels have risen sharply in the last one year.

“Officers from the Kenya Coast Guard Services were on their routine patrols along the lake when they managed to arrest the five leading to a protest by their colleagues,” he said.

Meanwhile, police in Naivasha are investigating an incident where a decomposing body of a man was found dumped near the town’s sewerage plant.

The body which did not have any identification documents was partially buried near the fence of the plant raising fears that he could have been murdered.

A witness Simon Mwai said that residents of the nearby Kihoto estate were attracted to the scene by a foul smell only to spot a section of the body.

“The body was partially buried and we suspect that the recent rain helped uncover it but police have collected it,” he said.

The OCPD confirmed the incident, adding that the body had been collected, taken to the local mortuary and an inquest file opened.

“There is a decomposing body that has been recovered near the sewer plant, but it is yet to be identified as it is in terrible condition,” said Sigei.