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July 2005 and became fully operational in April 2006,
initially operating out of Arusha. In January 2007, the
Commission relocated to its current headquarters in
Kisumu, Kenya. The protocol establishing the LVBC was
signed in 2003 (EAC 2003).
The broad mandate of the LVBC is provided for
under article 33(2) of the Protocol for Sustainable
Development of Lake Victoria Basin; namely to:
"… promote equitable economic growth, promote
measures aimed at eradicating poverty, promote
sustainable utilization and management of natural
resources, promote the protection of the environment
within the Lake Victoria Basin, and promote
compliance on safety of navigation."
The vision of the LVBC is to have a prosperous
population living in a healthy and sustainably managed
environment providing equitable opportunities and
benefits.
The mission of the LVBC is to promote, facilitate
and coordinate activities of different actors towards
sustainable development and poverty eradication of
the Lake Victoria Basin.
The LVB is designated as an Economic Growth Zone for
the EAC Partner States. The Basin offers opportunities
for socioeconomic development and investment
in a variety of diverse areas, including tourism
development; lake transport and communication; trade
and industry; water treatment, supply and sanitation;
and fisheries.
Despite the vast opportunities in the Basin, there
are a number of environmental, socioeconomic
and management challenges. The environmental
challenges include over-fishing, point and non-point
source pollution, invasive weeds and the degradation
of catchment areas. Socioeconomic challenges include
high population densities, limited livelihood options,
high levels of illiteracy, lack of skilled labour and high
mortality rates resulting from HIV and AIDS, malaria,
water-related diseases and malnutrition.
The main management challenges include the
coordination of transboundary natural resources and
the enforcement of laws governing the management
of these resources. Currently, transboundary natural
resources are managed in accordance with national
institutional and legal frameworks. In order to sustainably
exploit the existing and potential opportunities in the
Basin, while simultaneously addressing the challenges,
the EAC Council of Ministers has, over the last few
years, approved and adopted a variety of legal and
administrative instruments to guide the sustainable
management of the LVB. These include the Protocol for
Sustainable Development of Lake Victoria Basin (2003);
the Vision and Strategy Framework for Management and
Development of the Lake Victoria Basin (2004); the EAC
Development Strategies formulated every five years; and
the LVBC Operational Strategy (2007-2010). These policy
documents, particularly the Strategic Intervention Areas
defined by the Lake Victoria Basin Commission in the
fourth EAC Development Strategy (2011-2016), guided
the development of the current LVBC Strategic Plan
(2011- 2016) (Lake Victoria Basin Commission 2015).
In addition to the five-year strategic planning
cycles, guidance for the management of the Basin
is also provided through article 3 of the Protocol for
Sustainable Development of the Lake Victoria Basin,
which identifies 14 areas of cooperation (EAC 2003):
• sustainable development, management and
equitable utilization of water resources
• sustainable development and management of
fisheries resources
• promotion of sustainable agricultural and land-use
practices including irrigation
• promotion of sustainable development and
management of forestry resources
• promotion of development and management of
wetlands
• promotion of trade, commerce and industrial
development
• promotion of development of infrastructure and energy
• maintenance of navigational safety and maritime
security
• improvement in public health with specific reference
to sanitation
• promotion of research, capacity-building and
information exchange
• environmental protection and management of the
Basin
• promotion of public participation in planning and
decision-making
• integration of gender concerns in all activities in the
Basin
• promotion of wildlife conservation and sustainable
tourism development
The five LVB riparian countries are Member States of the
East African Community (EAC). While East Africa’s major
regional policy instrument for the management of the
Basin is the Protocol for the Sustainable Development
of the Lake Victoria Basin, membership of the EAC
Partner States in other regional economic communities,
including: the Southern Africa Development
Community (SADC) of which Tanzania is a member;
the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa
(COMESA), which includes Burundi, Kenya and Rwanda;
and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development
(IGAD) of which Kenya and Uganda are members,
means some basin states have also to deal with other
environmental management instruments. For example,
as a member of the SADC, Tanzania is also subject to
the provisions of the revised SADC Protocol on Shared
Watercourse Systems.