Two fishermen from Litare Beach in Mbita Sub-County have drowned in Lake Victoria, once again exposing the deadly cost of neglecting safety on Africa’s largest freshwater lake. The victims, Richard Nyakwaka, 58, and Caleb Nyawara, 40, were part of a fishing expedition when their boat capsized—only one survivor made it ashore. Despite repeated warnings and decades of fatalities, the state continues to underinvest in lake safety, leaving poor fisherfolk at the mercy of violent storms, poor equipment, and unregulated operations.
As local divers retrieved the bodies, village elders and local leaders called for the use of life jackets, yet such appeals have become ritualistic in the absence of real structural change. Why are life-saving tools still unaffordable or unavailable for the people whose livelihoods depend on the lake? The question hangs heavy over Homa Bay once again, as grieving families prepare for burial while the system remains unchanged.
![Public Service Commission (PSC) Vice-Chairperson Mary Wanjira Kimonye (right) receives a trophy gift from the Institute of Human Resources Management [IHRM] during the 6th Women in HR Convention which is in Naivasha. Photo by Shikuku/ Immaculate Kariuki](https://coatmediaafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/DSC_3896-120x86.jpg)
