The Role of Mobile Phones in Marketing Nile Perch Fish: A Case Study of Homa Bay County, Kenya

The introduction of Nile perch to Lake Victoria in 1950’s, while ecologically negative, has stimulated the establishment of large fishing companies in Kenya though away from the lake. It has earned the government and other stakeholders of the industry billions of Kenyan shillings yet the fishermen continue to wallow in poverty. The major objective of this study was to investigate the use of mobile phone technology in marketing Nile perch fish in Homa-Bay County and specifically: to examine the use of mobile phone technology to facilitate Nile perch fish marketing and to identify the determinants of variations in the frequency of mobile phone use for Nile perch fish marketing among agents involved in the marketing chain. A survey was conducted and data gathered through questionnaires where the target population included all fishermen in Homa-Bay County. A multistage sampling technique was used and a sample of two hundred and seventy respondents was selected using systematic random sampling. Descriptive and Poisson regression model were used to analyze the data. The study identified the use of mobile phone along five communication channels used for Nile perch fish marketing. Annual income generated from Nile perch fish business was significant in explaining variations observed in the frequency of mobile phone use. Findings imply that use of mobile phones can assist in the commercialization process of the Nile perch fish marketing and may help to forestall possible market failure. The study recommends the need for policymakers and the private sector to facilitate means of enabling access to mobile use by the fishermen. Keywords: Nile perch fish, Communication Channels, Market Information, Poisson mode