Otafiire demands action over Lake Victoria crisis

Over the weekend, sector ministers and high-ranking delegations from the East African Community (EAC) partner states gathered in Kisumu, Kenya, for the 24th Ordinary Meeting of the Sectoral Council of Ministers for the Lake Victoria Basin (SECOM).

Presiding over the summit as chairperson, Gen Kahinda Otafiire, the minister of Water and Environment, delivered a stark warning regarding the ecological pressures facing the shared basin and demanded immediate, results-oriented regional cooperation.

He drew attention to alarming findings from the 2025 State of the Basin Report, highlighting that roughly 42.6% of the basin’s catchment is at high risk of erosion, while wetlands have shrunk by about 33% between the 1980s and the 2020s.

Despite the basin generating over $1.1 billion annually from an estimated 1.14 million tonnes of fisheries, these economic lifelines remain deeply imperiled by climate change and degradation.

Otafiire further cautioned delegates against looming weather extremes, pointing to regional climate forecasts predicting an increased likelihood of El Niño conditions and above-normal rainfall.

Recalling the devastating floods of 2020, which inundated approximately 640 square kilometres of Uganda’s shoreline and displaced 29,000 people, Otafiire stressed the need for preemptive regional defences.

“We experienced similar impacts during the floods of 2020, when approximately 640 square kilometres of Uganda’s shoreline were flooded and displaced about 29,000 people,” he noted. Emphasizing the necessity of joint readiness, he added:

“These risks call for strengthened regional cooperation in hydrometeorological monitoring, flood forecasting, early warning and coordinated management of lake levels and outflows, taking into consideration the safety of downstream communities and infrastructure. I therefore urge the Commission and Partner States to strengthen information sharing and coordinated responses to the anticipated climate risks.”

Closing his address, Otafiire turned to internal institutional hurdles, drawing attention to persistent staffing shortages and governance gaps within the Lake Victoria Basin Commission (LVBC) that threaten project execution.

He stressed that effective transboundary management requires robust institutional backing and rigorous follow-through on council decisions.

“The persistent staffing gaps, coupled with the potential separation of additional experienced personnel, pose a serious risk to the Commission’s ability to discharge its mandate effectively,” warned Otafiire.

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