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Abstract:
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Maritime security is one of the latest axioms of international relations and diplomacy. It is a term that has drawn attention to new challenges and rallies support for tackling them. The study assessed socio- economic factors contributing to maritime insecurity along the Homa Bay shores of Lake Victoria. This study objectives were: to assess the current status of maritime insecurity at Lake Victoria in Homa Bay County; to find out whether illegal, unregulated, and unreported fishing is a form of maritime insecurity at Lake Victoria in Homa Bay County; and to examine the socio-economic factors contributing to maritime insecurity at Lake Victoria in Homa Bay County. The researcher adopted institutional and routine activity theories as theoretical framework. An exploratory research design that incorporated a qualitative research approach were used in this study. The target population were individual and organisations / institutions from Homa Bay Lake Region site. The study used purposive sampling technique and the principle of saturation to obtain a sample size of 36 participants -12 participants for in-depth interviews and 4 Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) of 6 members each. The study adopted qualitative interviews, FGDs, and observation as data generation tools. The study revealed that the main IUU fishing issues in Lake Victoria, Homa Bay County are unauthorized fishing, criminal gangs and pirates, encroachment by foreign fishers, employment of minors/children as fishers, use of prohibited gears and fishing methods, and fishing young, endangered and protected fish species. Moreover, fish stocks in Lake Victoria, Homa Bay county are under threat from IUU fishing. The study recommends that there is a need to have more patrol officers patrolling the waters because this will keep illegal fishers and criminal gangs from roaming freely. |