Whereas the notion of multi stakeholder values is ideally representative of social inclusiveness and a desired element of SEPLS concept, however on close examination certain values are negative and contradictory to sustainable use of resources.  For example, management of LVB is confronted by pressure from international development agencies’ inclination to develop further Nile perch fishery purportedly to support economic development in the region in spite of its negative impacts on social and ecological aspects. On the other hand, environmentalists and Indigenous Local People share views on the values of biodiversity conservation and particularly diversity of native fish species. They perceive the Nile perch fishery as a tragedy of the commons that altered the balance of ecosystem goods and services, and redistributed benefits flowing from them. Economic benefits from the liberalised Nile perch fishery flow almost exclusively to foreign companies which can afford capital intensive investments. Biological diversity is traded for significant but unsustainable fish export earnings, they claim.

Jinja is the largest industrial city of Uganda and is located on the shore line of the lake. Virtually all industries claim a share on the lake’s waste repository capacity hence industries discharge untreated effluent in the lake causing serious pollution. Two large scale sugar estates of Madihvan group in Kakira and Uganda Sugar Corporation of Lugazi are located on adjacent watersheds from where residues of fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides flow directly from sugar plantations to pollute the lake. The sugar estates run out-growers scheme which hitherto was supportive of livelihoods of local communities. Nevertheless currently the scheme enhances income generation only for individuals that obtain sugar cane supply contracts from the factory, a category of exclusively rich people who sell at factory price while farmers get much less for their sugar canes. Put it differently, the value chain is now dominated by middle players who take the lion’s share of proceeds. The new order threatens sugar cane production as farmers fail to break even amidst ever increasing input costs. The sugar estates also provide unskilled employment to a large number of both local and immigrant workers in addition to other public facilities such as schools and hospitals.

Other stake holders include urban development projects in form of road construction and housing, financed by both the private and public sectors in pursuit of rapid economic development. Gold mining, sand excavation and rice schemes in Katonga and Lwela wetlands, have negative impacts on Lake Victoria ecosystem irrespective of their contribution to national development. Construction and agriculture involve draining the wetlands and obstructing water channels besides chemical contamination of water. Smallholder agriculture, grazing and collection of raw materials constitute a large per cent of land resource utilization in LVB. National water and Sewerage Corporation use the lake as a source of its water supplies and at the same time it discharges sewerage in adjacent swamps for natural purification before entering the lake.

Tourism is growing very fast around Lake Victoria with more than 170 tourists’ hotels erected on the shoreline in the three riparian states of Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania. High traffic of tourists exerts pressure on fragile environments. Plastic litter is one cause of environmental degradation in addition to structural changes of the natural scenery to accommodate roads and buildings among other things. Sewerage from the hotels is discharged untreated in the lake. The sewage is a serious threat to tourist beaches and local population, since dirty water can cause infections of the ear, nose, and throat among bathers, not to mention hepatitis, dysentery and enteritis. Although tourism generates substantial foreign currency for local economy, however its negative environmental impact on the lake should not be discounted.

Aquaculture on Lake Victoria is becoming a social and ecological menace. Besides congesting the lake with floating cages made out of plastic materials, boat owners complain that cages block ways used to transport goods and people. Caged fish are fed on artificial feeds whose residues rote in the water thus creating a disgusting foul besides exacerbating eutrophication. Furthermore caged fish are susceptible to infections due to restricted feeding and confinement in an overcrowded place. They infect the natural fish in the water thus posing a threat to the entire fishery in the lake. Spawning which under normal circumstances takes place in a different place from where they feed is also constricted. Ideally healthy fish move freely in search of suitable conditions such as temperatures in the water, oxygen, light and natural food among other things. In the process they exercise their bodies and feed on a variety of natural food in the expanse of the entire lake.  It can be deduced therefore that caged fish aquaculture on Lake Victoria is ill conceived and threatens the entire fishery with grim consequences for consumers, investors and biological diversity.

On proposed and existing interventions, EPIC and its partners engaged industries including large scale agriculture enterprises to adopt Vetiver Grass Technology (VGT) for pollution and sediment control; and for climate change resilience enhancement by retention of moisture and soil nutrients in plantations. They responded positively and an initiative by local authorities is in the pipeline to develop a policy to that effect.

Lake Victoria Environment Management Program phases 1 and 2 partly funded by World Bank group supported knowledge building activities and institutional capacity building for managing the lake. Global Environmental Facility (GEF) supports riparian states to address trans-boundary pollution ad management related issues. In the following section the invasion of Water Hyacinth weed is elaborated.