The Migori County government, We!Hub Victoria Limited, and the Kenya Industrial Research and Development Institute (KIRDI) have partnered to create a fish and sardine drying and preservation plant at Muhurubay.
The plant is intended to assist the folk fisher group, which has been experiencing significant losses after harvest.
Muhurubay and the surrounding areas are served by the solar cooling and drying device.
Lucas Mosenda, a member of the Department of Agriculture, Livestock, and Fisheries Management’s Migori County Executive Committee, stated during the machine’s introduction that post-harvest losses cause fishermen to lose between 15 and 20 percent of their catch.
According to Mosenda, the KIRDI-installed machine would provide fishermen who have been finding it difficult to dry and preserve their harvest a sense of relief.
According to KIRDI researcher Linus Kosambo, the device works well based on testing conducted at one of their locations in Coastal Kenya.
According to Kosambo, the apparatus that can dry and preserve fish runs solely on solar power. It will solve fish quality problems and help fishermen find a better market for their catch.
Eng. Peter Korinko, the chairperson of KIRDI, repeated his comments, stating that neighboring counties around Lake Victoria should undertake initiatives of a similar nature.