Impact of water hyacinth on Lake Victoria

Until the local fishing industry in and around Lake Victoria was visibly affected, the killer weed – water hyacinth (eichhornia crassipes) had been overlooked. The problem reached such alarming proportions within such a short time that the population around the lake must now face the grim reality of survival after almost all their lives have been touched in one way or another (JEAN, Vol. 1, No. 1). The immediate casualties being felt in the area of fisheries, water supply, human health, transport, agriculture and loss of biodiversity. In this article we discuss the infestation of the water hyacinth in Africa and give an appraisal of its elimination efforts from the Kenyan side of Lake Victoria.