Where did hundreds of Tilapia in highly-polluted river come from? Residents wonder

Residents of Mwariki and Rhonda estates in Nakuru County are wondering where Tilapia fish they found in Ndarugu River early Wednesday came from.

For the longest time, residents who attempted to fish in the river went home empty-handed, “given the toxicity of the water flowing in the stream cannot allow fish to survive in it”.

It is alleged that highly-toxic waste, including heavy metals from industries, and slum homes in Nakuru is often channeled into the river, raising the amount of pollutants in the watercourse, hence providing a hostile habitat for aquatic animals.

“It is a miracle that we are finding fish in Ndarugu River today. The river has never had fish in the recent years,” Stella Wangui, a resident of Mwariki, told K24 Digital.

“What is usually retrieved from the river most times, are bodies of human beings who were murdered,” added Wangui.

Hundreds of residents, including elderly men, women and children, on Wednesday morning flocked to the river, where they fished Tilapia in their hundreds.

Another resident, Joram Njau, said he was at work Wednesday when his friend told him that he was missing out on a bumper fish harvest at Ndarugu River.

“I hopped onto my motorbike and rushed to the river, where I took part in the fishing,” he said.

Another resident, identified only as Simon, said he was playing pool at 1am Wednesday, when he was informed that fish had miraculously appeared in Ndarugu River.

“I sold -- at a profit -- all the fish that I caught,” he said.

Some locals, who were skeptical to take part in the fishing spree, said they feared the fish could have been contaminated with heavy metals, given the river is highly-polluted. Their skepticism came even as a section of residents said the Tilapia fishes were alive and appeared healthy at the time they were removed from the river.

As residents continue to wonder where the fish came from, a section of locals claim there was an overflow in a large fish pond belonging to a foreign investor, and that the fishes were washed into the river Tuesday night.

Ndarugu River, which has its source in Mau, flows to Lake Nakuru.