Police, KWS arrest suspect with 850kg of fish from Lake Nakuru » Capital News

NAIROBI, Kenya, Mar 12 – Kenya Wildlife Service in collaboration with the Kenya Police have seized 850 kilograms of fish illegally fished from Lake Nakuru.

According to KWS, the fish were recovered following the arrest of a suspect believed to be part of a larger network involved in the illegal fish trade.

“In a coordinated effort to combat illegal activities within Nakuru, Kenya Wildlife Service officers teamed up with the Kenya Police to apprehend an individual involved in the transportation of 850 kg of fish illegally taken from Lake Nakuru, marking a significant achievement in the ongoing fight against wildlife-related crimes,” KWS stated in a post on X.

KWS, which is the agency charged with preserving Kenya’s fauna and natural environments for future generations maintains that Lake Nakuru has huge deposits of arsenic, mercury, lead, chromium, and organochlorines, a factor that makes fish from the Lake a serious health threat.

“Rigorous testing has confirmed their harmful levels, highlighting the urgent need to avoid consuming these fish for the safety of all,” added the statement.

The damning revelations point to a glaring timebomb over smuggled poisonous fish from the lake already in the market.

In January this year, the government declared fish from Lake Nakuru unfit for human consumption, with Mining and Blue Economy Cabinet Secretary Salim Mvurya revealing that the fish contained high levels of up to 32 percent arsenic mercury.

“I want to confirm that fish in Lake Nakuru are not fit for human consumption. We have fish which have been demonstrated to contain up to 32 percent level of the poisonous metal,” Mvurya said.

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