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33

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.