Otafiire demands action over Lake Victoria crisis

What the report says

Uganda’s Water and Environment Minister Gen Kahinda Otafiire used a Lake Victoria Basin meeting in Kisumu, Kenya, to call for faster regional action on the lake’s environmental and climate-related pressures. The gathering brought together sector ministers and senior delegations from East African Community partner states for the 24th Ordinary Meeting of the Sectoral Council of Ministers for the Lake Victoria Basin.

According to The Observer, Otafiire, who chaired the summit, pointed to findings from the 2025 State of the Basin Report showing serious ecological strain. He cited high erosion risk across much of the catchment, a sharp decline in wetlands over recent decades, and threats to fisheries and other economic activities that depend on the basin. He also warned delegates about the likelihood of more extreme weather, including heavier rainfall and possible El Niño conditions.

He said the region must strengthen joint hydrometeorological monitoring, flood forecasting, early warning systems and coordination on lake levels and outflows. The minister referred to the flooding experienced in 2020 as a reason to prepare in advance for similar shocks, especially for shoreline communities and infrastructure.

Otafiire also raised concerns about staffing shortages and governance gaps at the Lake Victoria Basin Commission, arguing that these issues could hinder project delivery. The remarks underline broader concerns about how the EAC states manage one of the region’s most important shared water resources.