Members of Legio Maria pray by the hyacinth covered shore of Lake Victoria. (Photo: Denish Ochieng’/Standard)

With both the National and County Governments showing little efforts to deal with the water hyacinth menace in Lake Victoria, residents of Kisumu have now resorted to divine intervention to send away the weed.

The faithful from the Legion Maria church shocked residents when they camped at Dunga beach and prayed for the disappearance of the weed.

They spent several hours offering their prayers as the public looked on curiously. After finishing their prayers, they declined to speak to either the media or the public to the surprise of everyone.

Roselyn Otieno, a worshiper with the church however explained to the Standard that according to the church's principles during such prayers conducted by church members sent by the Holy Spirit, they normally do not talk to anyone.

She noted that the faithful who had gone to the lake to pray had been guided by the Holy Spirit to carry out that duty.

"Those with Holy Spirit are normally focused on the duty that they have been sent to do and after finishing their prayers, they normally leave the place," she said.

This comes at a time when the weed has increased its coverage in the lake with the Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institute (KMFRI) estimating its coverage at 10,620 hectares as at November 5, last year with the agency noting that the weed is steadily growing.