Women’s empowerment programmes help break the sex-for-fish cycle in western Kenya

A decade ago, Bentah Awino, 36, would stand near the shoreline in Siaya County, Kenya, in the early mornings and watch fishermen pull in their catch from Lake Victoria. The fish would land on the sand, still flipping, and buyers would gather quickly, with plastic basins in hand.

Unfortunately, the women who came to trade did not all have the same access. Awino said that on some mornings, she would wait for hours, watching fish sold to other traders as if she were invisible. Even when she had money, fishermen would tell her there was nothing left.

'If you do not have a fisherman who sets aside fish for you, you can go home with nothing,' she told FairPlanet. 'Sometimes you would even borrow money to come here, and then you return empty-handed.'

Women who refused sexual demands from fishermen, Awino said, were often pushed aside. Some would walk away before noon, carrying empty basins back to their villages, while others would stay longer, hoping someone would eventually agree to sell them a few fish.

'That is how jaboya works,' Awino said, referring to the practice in which women are coerced into sex in exchange for preferential access to fish.

Awino eventually found support through a women-led savings group in her village. The group helped fish traders pool money, buy fish in bulk, and reduce dependence on individual fishermen. She admitted that it was a small intervention, but she is happy that it gave her a way to keep trading without constantly negotiating her dignity.

On Lake Victoria’s Kenyan shores, access to fish is largely controlled by male fishermen, while most women involved in processing and trading do not own boats or gear. That imbalance gave rise to the jaboya system, a local term that refers to the exchange of sex for fish. Research has shown that jaboya is intensified by dwindling stocks of wild fish. 

There have been efforts in recent years to give women direct control over fish production and supply chains as a way to mitigate the prevalence of jaboya. Some of the well-documented initiatives have provided empowerment through cage fish farming and women's cooperatives.

Mathildah Amollo founded Great Lakes Feeds in 2016 after leaving formal employment to tackle jaboya head-on. Amollo explained that she recognised that high feed costs, poor quality of fingerlings on sale, and supply delays led to women's dependence on exploitative fishermen. Through her initiative, she produces quality fish feeds and fingerlings while training women and youth in profitable cage farming.

Amollo designs and supplies cages, hiring them out to women or selling on instalment plans repaid at harvest. She is based at Utonga in Bondo sub-county, Siaya County.

'We are doing all this because of this jaboya problem, which has really plagued our region for a long time,' she told FairPlanet. Over 2,000 women have benefited from her empowerment project, reducing their vulnerability to abuse through jaboya. Amollo expressed how prevalent jaboya was in many parts of the lake region, noting that from her observation in recent times, the pattern has slowed down significantly as more women are taking up proactive roles in the fishing industry.

'It was bad. Very bad. But from what I have been seeing, there has been some improvement over the last few years. Women are now doing cage farming. And those who are doing it are supporting their fellow women.'

Significant change

Angela Odero from Riofish, which aggregates over 4 tonnes of fish daily, notes significant changes over the years, as empowerment programmes to counter the practice take root.

'Jaboya as I knew it 10 years ago has changed significantly,' said Odero, who is the CEO and a co-founder of Riofish. 'It was a big challenge. Most of the women we were speaking to were saying they were having challenges accessing the fish from the fishermen, because there were demands for sexual favours in exchange for the fish.'

Angela explained that Riofish addresses post-harvest losses from perishability and lack of storage by providing cold-storage trucks, on-site weighing, and direct bank payments. It supports women's fish farming and established market outlets so women can buy fish without lake visits. 'In doing this, we have encouraged women to own the fish supply,' she said.

In a significant boost to efforts combating the jaboya exploitation on Lake Victoria, Mathildah and Angela were the recipients of two grants totalling 112 million Kenyan Shillings (around 731,000 Euros) from the Canadian government-funded 'Investing in Women in the Blue Economy in Kenya' initiative in August 2023. 

Cage farming empowers women to produce tilapia independently, bypassing male-dominated wild fishing. Initiatives such as the Investing in Women in the Blue Economy (IIW-BEK) programme - funded by Global Affairs Canada via the Africa Enterprise Challenge Fund - have supported hundreds of women. 

The initiatives have also made use of technology as a way of enhancing the efficiency and productivity of the programmes. In Homa Bay, Internet of Things (IoT) sensors in cages monitor water temperature and provide alerts on feeding or restocking. This has helped the women to optimise their fish breeding and enhance output. Many women who were formerly forced into jaboya for silver fish supplies now use these programmes to build income securely.

Earlier boat-ownership models, such as the 'No Sex for Fish' initiative started by U.S. Peace Corps volunteers around 2010-2014 with PEPFAR support, inspired change by letting women hire fishermen. 

Another was the Darwin Initiative's 2021-2024 project, which brought together Pathfinder International, Conservation International, Victory Farms, and Fauna & Flora. The initiative distributed boats and nets to women's groups in Homa Bay and provided entrepreneurship training. 

Under the Darwin Initiative, women's groups manage their own catch and employ the fishing crews directly. Women in beach management leadership roles increased by 200% in Homa Bay County, according to Pathfinder International. The programme also established protected breeding zones to restore fish stocks. By giving women direct access to fish, the project tackles economic barriers, HIV risks, and overfishing simultaneously. By mid-2024, 20 women's groups in Suba South had been empowered with the skills, knowledge, and resources needed for sustainable fish cage farming. 

'For the last three or so years, I have observed some great improvement,' said Amollo. 'The sex-for-fish (practice) is reducing, thanks to all these initiatives. And women who benefit from these empowerment programmes are also empowering their fellow women. Like in our case, women who have cages are supporting those who don’t have them. The future looks bright for women and girls, thanks to empowerment programmes.'