Fishmonger cleans freshly fished omena before drying at Dunga beach in Kisumu. [File, Standard]
At Obunga in Kisumu, piles of discarded fish bones and scales that were once regarded as worthless waste are finding a new purpose in an unlikely place; jewellery and decorative art.
For years, fish remains generated from processing and smoking have been left on open ground or around fish-processing areas, where they rot, attract flies and other scavengers and, during rains, can be washed into Lake Victoria.
But 73-year-old Norah Agwata sees something different. To her, the bones of Nile perch are not rubbish. They are raw materials that can be cleaned, dried and transformed into earrings, necklaces, pendants and other ornaments, while fish scales can be turned into colourful flowers and decorative designs.
From her small enterprise, Norez Gift Flowers and Designs, located in Kona Lejo in Kisumu near Manyatta, Agwata is demonstrating how a waste problem can be turned into an environmental and economic opportunity.
Her journey into fish-waste recycling began in 2020 during the Covid-19 pandemic, when restrictions forced people to remain indoors and disrupted businesses and livelihoods.
Agwata had been selling tomatoes and other food items, but with markets affected, she needed something to occupy her time.
“I started this during Covid-19. Remember, at that time we were indoors, and you could not go to the market. I decided to make myself busy, and this is where it started,” she says.