Homa Bay: 2 Fishermen Die During Fight Over Fish Breeding Zone

• Enock Opiyo and Dancan Okoth died after their colleagues from Koginga Beach struck their boat, causing it to overturn
• The two, alongside three others, were confronting the Koginga fishers when they found them fishing in a designated zone
• The three were rescued on the spot while the victims drowned and an operation to retrieve their bodies is underway

Nancy Odindo, a journalist at TUKO.co.ke, brings more than three years of experience covering politics, news, and feature stories across digital and print media in Kenya.

Homa Bay - Fishermen at Lake Victoria in Suba North Constituency are grieving the loss of two of their own following a tragic altercation.

The confrontation arose when a group of fishermen from Koginga Beach attempted to cast their nets in a designated breeding area at Uwi Beach.

What led to Okoth and Opiyo's deaths?

Enock Opiyo, 25, and Dancan Okoth, 40, were part of a five-member team that approached their colleagues from Koginga to request that they refrain from fishing in the breeding zone.

Despite the plea, the Koginga fishermen, already engaged in their expedition, refused to comply and continued with their activities, according to a report by Citizen Digital.

As tensions escalated, the situation turned violent, resulting in the Koginga fishermen striking the boat of the Uwi team, causing it to capsize.

Tragically, Opiyo and Okoth lost their lives in the incident, while the other three members of their team were fortunate enough to be rescued immediately.

The heartbreaking event was confirmed by the area chief, Charles Ngoe, who expressed condolences to the families of the deceased.

Efforts to recover the bodies of Opiyo and Okoth resumed on the morning of Wednesday, May 8.

Siaya man dies in gold mine

In a separate story, a 19-year-old man died after sandstones fell on him in the Rarieda sub-county in Siaya.

The man was about to pull up sand when the incident happened burying him alive in a 50-foot gold mine, according to witnesses who had worked with him at the site for a couple of years.

The county government's rescue team supported the search for the deceased teenager.

Proofreading by Nyambura Guthua, journalist and copy editor at TUKO.co.ke