At Obunga Market Nile Perch species is a goldmine that is earning women income with its by-products transforming how the fish can improve income through its by-products.
The by-products of Nile fish consist of fish skin, fish frames, fish eggs, fish fats, bones, intestines and fish fillets.
Carren Anyango, a fishmonger, claims that the skins are used to manufacture leather, which she then sells to other businesses that use it to make shoes, belts, handbags, jewelry and even bracelets.
Anyango says she started her business in 2013 and has had the opportunity to travel and visit numerous countries as a leather training consultant.
They manufacture human food, chicken feeds, pig feeds, fish feeds, leather, organic manure, and jewelry using byproducts purchased from fish markets and manufacturers such as Sea Foods in Kisumu and Lake Treasures in Mbita.
“Each process takes between five to six hours. This process involves the use of chemicals, so I have to allow the chemicals to do their work properly before moving to another step if I have to come up with a fine product,” she explains.
Onyango observes that Nile perch byproducts such as bones, scales, guts, and even lipids are utilized to manufacture various items by other vendors.
Anyango claims she utilizes a specific size of Nile perch skin that she must measure in order to obtain the proper amount of chemicals for the preparation process.
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She begins the procedure by straightening the skin and removing the scales.
Then she adds a chemical in the second stage, which she refers to as the delining process, in which she must remove all scales that may be deep under the skin in order to make it very light.
“After this stage, I move to another stage which involves the process of greasing. In this stage, I use a grease agent which is paraffin. This enables the skin to hold itself together. After this, she adds to the product both strong and weak acids which include sulfuric and stomach acids. At this stage, she leaves the product for a day,” she said.
Anyango said that after a day, she adds another chemical used for the fixing stage, which holds the result together.
According to her, the method results in wet blue leather that will require extensive ironing and dyeing based on the customer’s preferences.
“For ironing of the leather to make it smooth, I have to take it to Kenya Industrial Research Development Institute (KIRDI) which is here in Kisumu luckily,” she said.
Anyango says that one of the difficulties she has is the high cost of chemicals, which are now only available in Nairobi.
She claims she has been able to travel nations such as Lebanon, Rwanda, Tanzania and Egypt to consult on leather training for university students and women’s groups.
