Enterprise Structures, Value Chain Dynamics and Social Equity in the Omena (Rastrineobola argentea) Small-Fish Sector Along Kenya's Lake Victoria Shore

Omena (Rastrineobola argentea) and associated small fish sustain livelihoods and food security across the Lake Victoria basin, yet enterprises producing, processing and trading them remain poorly documented. A structured survey of 114 respondents (producers n = 31, traders n = 55, processors n = 28) was conducted across 18 landing sites and market nodes spanning eight counties between 2025 and 2026. Enterprise structures diverged distinctly by role: producers (71% male, mean 14 workers) averaged 21-24 trips per month with median catches rising five-fold from low to high season; processors were almost exclusively female (96%), operating micro-enterprises averaging 3 workers and relying on sun-drying (100%) and frying (57%); and traders operated the leanest structures (mean 1.3 workers, 80% female), linking producers to downstream markets. Good-quality omena (Rastrineobola argentea) fetched a mean of KES 2,131 per basin in the low season versus KES 1,499 in the high season, while quality-loss product traded at a 40-50% discount, quantifying the economic cost of post-harvest losses and the urgent need for improved drying and cold-chain infrastructure. Governance and rights conditions revealed deep inequities, with 77% of producers reporting institutional harassment or coercive payment demands compared to 25% of traders and 11% of processors. In 7% of enterprises, children aged 13-17 were reported assisting in post-harvest activities during school holidays, a practice that, while culturally embedded, warrants contextualization against Kenya's Employment Act (2007) and Children Act (2022), which permit light work by children above 13 years outside school hours provided it does not harm their health, development or school attendance, and strictly prohibit hazardous engagement. While women dominated processing, trading and financial management, income decisions remained male-controlled in 17% of households. These findings provide an empirically grounded, multi-enterprise baseline to guide interventions in value chain efficiency, post-harvest loss reduction, labor formalization and gender-transformative approaches, directly informing Kenya's National Blue Economy Strategy and LVFO regional frameworks.