By Nehemiah Okwembah
President William Ruto has launched various projects in the Blue Economy sector in Kilifi County with an aim of enabling the local communities explore maritime resources for their economic wellbeing.
A fish market constructed at a cost of Sh50 million was launched and is now operational at Kichwa Cha Kati fish landing site in Ngomeni, Magarini sub-County.
The project was tendered in March 2023 by the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries and included the construction of a market building fitted with fish cooling sections, a gallery and a water borehole to enable constant supply of fresh water for processing of fish.
According to Ruto, the project is set to significantly empower the fishing industry in the region as well as provide employment to locals and non-locals in the various value chains.
The government has set aside Sh9.1 billion to rehabilitate and construct markets at nine fish landing sites in Lamu, Kilifi, Mombasa and Kwale counties and train fishermen on capacity building.
The government will also partner with the private sector to boost earnings from the blue economy from the current Sh15 billion to Sh100 billion in the next three years. To ensure this happens, President Ruto, in recognising the impact of the Pemba community in the fishing industry, issued them with national identity documents to enable them get government support to improve their trade.
“We met in Mombasa with your leaders and today we are here to launch development projects and we have launched the landing site where the fish from the sea will be stored in a cold room and there is an ice making machine,” said the President.
“The blue economy should be able to contribute to the national economy and that is why we are engaging fishermen to get fishing gear, cooling plants, boats and landing facilities so that the fish gets to the market in value added form. We are constructing these facilities in Mokowe in Lamu county, Ngomeni and Kichwa cha Kati in Kilifi County, Kidongo in Mombasa County and Shimoni in Kwale County.”
He said the nine fish landing sites for this region will be equipped and fishermen empowered so that fishing can put money in fishermen’s pockets and eradicate hunger in the country.
There will also be capacity building being conducted by the Kenya Maritime Authority (KMA) for fishermen and coxswains through training on their trade and to enhance safety at sea.
“There are about 2,000 coxswains in the Coast region and I issued 300 coxswains from Lamu County with certificates. We want to ensure that all the 2,000 coxswains are trained to make sure they have the relevant expertise on ensuring that they know how to save lives in the event there are accidents in the sea. We are also training fishermen in a bid to improve our catches in the ocean,” said President Ruto.
To boost the performance in the sector, the government has a working programme with at least 400 Beach Management Units (BMUs) in Kilifi County alone and they have already received Sh190 million to purchase modern fishing equipment.
“We are engaging stakeholders to ensure that we improve earnings from the sea from Sh15 billion to Sh100 billion in the blue economy sector through a public-private partnership,” he said.
President Ruto noted the key role value addition plays in minimising losses and ensuring better earnings for the fishing community and stressed on the importance of investing in modern equipped facilities with cold storage capabilities to preserve the quality of the catch and enable access to higher-value markets.
In Kilifi County, the construction of the Kichwa Cha Kati Fish Market is a milestone in efforts to harness the enormous potential of the Blue Economy sector that has remained untapped.
By adding value to the catch and reducing post-harvest losses, the government aims to increase revenue streams for the coastal communities, hence improving their livelihoods.
Kilifi Governor Gideon Mung’aro also pledged his administration’s support for the sector and promised to cooperate with the national government to ensure that the fisher folks maximise their earnings from the venture.
“I will cooperate with the national government so that we get enough fish landing sites in Mtwapa, Uyombo and other areas so that we maximise our efforts in the fishing sector,” he said.
Lucy Kapombe, the County Project Coordinator for Kenya Marine Fisheries and Social Economic Development (KEMSED) in Kilifi County, said 100 groups had benefited from a Sh190 million grant for three value chains that include fishing, farming and cattle rearing.
There is also the component of bee keeping for communities residing along the Indian Ocean creeks where mangrove forest conservation is thriving.
In efforts to conserve the ecosystem, the communities have been empowered to seek alternative livelihoods that will help restore and conserve the environment.
Initially, communities residing along the creeks in Ngomeni, Gede and Mtwpa in Kilifi County had been engaging in illegal logging activities that resulted in disruption of fish breeding sites.
“We are constructing 30 offshore fishing boats for deep sea fishing, we are also investing in mariculture to enable communities along the creeks rare milk fish and prawns and invest in fresh water fish farming,” said Kapombe.
“Apart from that we are engaging farmers in small-scale water irrigation and horticulture, dairy farming for cattle, goats and chicken and beekeping,” she added.
Kapombe said 35 groups had already received Sh98 million, with three groups getting 49 head of cattle and fishermen groups receiving 14 boats.
Some of the beneficiaries said the new investments will help them cope with climate change and maximise their earnings.
“We are happy to have received this investment at Kichwa Cha Kati, but I am requesting the president to compensate the families of fishermen who died in the hands of national security officers. He should ensure that the families of those who died in 2011 receive compensation,” said Omar Mshamu from Ngomeni.
Stephen Charo Katana, the Chairman of Kituo Cha Kati BMU, thanked the government for the fish market and urged the county government to construct the 3.5km road leading to the new facility.
