- 975 views
For a long time, fish filleting firms along Lake Victoria, especially in Kisumu county, dumped the waste from fish in the area, leading to environmental pollution and degradation.
Coupled with the stench from the waste, the area along the lake was a nightmare for residents.
One of the residents is Newton Owino, a leather chemist who spent day and night plotting a solution for the fish waste. Leveraging his knowledge on leather chemistry, and with consistent research, Owino came up with the idea of turning the fish waste into meaningful and useful products.
He established a firm where he could collect the waste and turn the fish skin into leather, which he then used to make products such as shoes, jackets, belts and even book covers.
"The main idea was actually to sustainably manage this waste and also to generate income. We didn't just look at it as waste," Owino says.
The process of converting the waste is straightforward. After collecting the waste, Owino pretreats the skin to convert it into a belt and then into leather. He uses natural substances such as papain from papaya fruit.
Owino also dyes the leather to give it an appealing look for his clients.
"Mostly we export our fish leather products to other parts of the world but we have also started penetrating the local market. I would say our fish skin leather is more of exotic, something new amongst us. So it will take some time for it to be adopted fully here," he adds.
Through this initiative, Owino has not managed to clean up the environment around the Lake Victoria area, but also created employment opportunities for the youth and women in Kisumu.
"I want to urge the youth to look around them and see value in things around them. The leather business is very lucrative, but people think it is only for the less fortunate in society. If we tap into this fully, it is something one can do until they lose their eyesight," Owino says.
How Kisumu innovator is making shoes and leather jackets from fish skin
- - 🔴 LIVE| TV47 MATUKIO ››
- 8 May 2024 - The Kenya Red Cross has disclosed that it will require approximately Ksh.7 billion for flood mitigation efforts across the country.
- 8 May 2024 - Stormy Daniels testified on Tuesday that Donald Trump greeted her in pajamas in his hotel room in 2006 where she spanked him at his request, telling jurors about the alleged encounter that would ultimately lead to the first criminal trial of a former U.S…
- 8 May 2024 - Prince Harry will not be seeing his father King Charles during his current visit to Britain as the monarch will be too busy, Harry's spokesperson said on Tuesday.
- 8 May 2024 - Israeli forces seized the main border crossing between Egypt and southern Gaza on Tuesday, shutting down a vital aid route into the Palestinian enclave that is already on the brink of famine.
- 8 May 2024 - Reading Time: 2 minutes Makini School has instituted legal action against a parent accusing the Parents Teachers Association (PTA) chairperson of defamation. The school […]
- 8 May 2024 - According to a police report seen by Citizen.Digital on Tuesday evening, all occupants of the ill-fated Epson Apartment had been accounted for, except two--an adult and a minor.
- 8 May 2024 - According to a police report seen by Citizen.Digital on Tuesday evening, all occupants of the ill-fated Epson Apartment had been accounted for, except two--an adult and a minor.
- 8 May 2024 - Reading Time: < 1 minute More than 200 pit latrines in 80 schools in Kisii County have collapsed due to heavy rain in the area. […]
- 8 May 2024 - Over 1,000 families are on the brink of a food shortage crisis as flood waters have submerged farms under the Perkerra Irrigation Scheme in Baringo South.
- 8 May 2024 - Kenya's Esports star Bilal clinches historic victory at African Championship in Nigeria