Members of the Suba Water Vendors Association in Kenya have been fishermen since their teenage years but once confronted with the reality of dwindling fish stocks in Lake Victoria, they decided to venture into a new form of business.
The 89 members who operated from Sindo Beach in Homa Bay County dropped their nets and other fishing gear and took up water jerricans, drums and hand carts to supply the water to homes and businesses.
Duncan Sikuku, who has been a fish dealer for eight years and owns six fishing boats, admitted that he had seen many fishermen take to water vending because of fish scarcity.
Personally I have lost five of my key men to this new business in the last one year, he said.
Richard Onyi, the association’s secretary, was one of those who left.
We accepted that a calamity had struck us. Numberless are the days we would come home empty-handed after toiling in the deep waters, he said. We explored all possible livelihood sources we would resort to and saw water as our saviour.
Officials of the outfit walk from one hotel to the other, and from household to business establishments soliciting contracts to supply water.
Most of our daily customers are hotels that operate at Sindo trading centre. We also supply most of the households here, said Bernard Mosiomo, the association’s chairman.
After winning the contracts, whose durations vary, members are then clustered into delivery units.
Because water from the lake is largely polluted, the vendors treat the water before it is delivered to customers.
Mr Mosiomo said that a 20-litre container goes for between Sh5 to Sh20 depending on the client’s proximity to the beach.
For those customers found a little further from the lake, we charge them Sh20 while those closer part with Sh5 for every 20-litre container, he said
A member of the group, 32-year-old Charles Warioba, said the members’ fortunes have changed for the better since they abandoned their fishing boats.
I’m now able to continue paying school fees for my three children in primary school as well as pay rent, a departure from the past when I was almost grounded, he said.
A day’s income per member is at least Sh500 and can go up to Sh800 during dry spells when demand hikes. This is better than the Sh250 or less they were accustomed to as fishermen.
Out of the collection, Sh60 goes to a central pool for the group every week. Members keep the rest. The savings are used to meet administrative costs as well as other social needs.