PS Karugu calls for regional action to protect Lake Victoria Basin
By Faith Matete
Principal Secretary Caroline Karugu has called for stronger regional cooperation and increased investment to address pollution, environmental degradation and climate change threatening the Lake Victoria Basin.
Karugu said the sustainable management of the shared resource was critical to community livelihoods, regional economic growth and long-term environmental security across East Africa.
Speaking in Kisumu during the 24th Ordinary Meeting of the Sector Council of Ministers on Lake Victoria Basin, Karugu said the basin continued to face challenges, including deteriorating water quality, inadequate sanitation, poor waste management infrastructure and gaps in maritime transport and navigational safety.
She said the competing demands on natural resources required coordinated interventions by partner states and development partners to ensure the basin's sustainability.
“Addressing them requires coordinated regional interventions, strengthened institutional collaboration, and a shared commitment to translating policy priorities into tangible outcomes for the communities that depend on the basin,” Karugu said.
She urged senior officials attending the meeting to develop practical recommendations, realistic strategies and clear follow-up actions to guide decisions by the Sector Council of Ministers.
Karugu said the recommendations should strengthen environmental conservation while supporting a more resilient and economically productive Lake Victoria Basin.
Her remarks came as the Lake Victoria Basin Commission called for faster project approvals, timely funding and stronger accountability to accelerate the implementation of regional programmes.
Commission Executive Secretary Masinde Bwire said lengthy approval processes, delayed contributions from partner states and persistent staffing shortages continued to constrain programme delivery.
Bwire urged partner states to accelerate national approvals, engage their finance ministries and align national development priorities with the Lake Victoria Basin Regional Development Plan.
He said the commission had expanded its investment pipeline to include water resources management, ecosystem restoration, climate financing and initiatives to improve navigation and multimodal transport connectivity on Lake Victoria.
However, he said the priority was to move proposed projects from the concept and preparatory stages to investment-ready programmes endorsed by participating governments.
The commission also faces financial and institutional constraints despite receiving an unqualified audit opinion for the financial year ended June 30, 2025.
Bwire said timely remittance of partner-state contributions, completion of approved procurement processes and stronger accountability were necessary to sustain programme implementation.
The meeting is considering the commission's fifth strategic plan for 2026–2031, the Gender Mainstreaming Strategy, the State of the Basin Report 2025 and the Lake Victoria Basin Regional Development Plan.
Senior officials recommended the adoption of the strategic plan, gender strategy and State of the Basin Report, while seeking further guidance on aligning national project proposals with the regional development plan.
Bwire said the documents would provide a framework for coordinated investment and accountability, but required policy support and integration into national planning and budgeting systems.
He called on the Coordination Committee to recommend solutions to implementation bottlenecks and provide clear direction on financing, national ownership and resource mobilisation ahead of the ministers' deliberations.
The commission said stronger regional cooperation was essential to translate policy decisions into practical interventions that would improve water quality, restore ecosystems, strengthen transport safety and support resilient livelihoods across the basin.
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