The government is set to recover and develop all grabbed public fish landing sites across Kenya’s water bodies. The process has already commenced on Lake Victoria in Nyanza and the Indian Ocean in coast.
Fisheries, Aquaculture and Blue Economy Principal Secretary Prof Micheni Ntiba said more than Sh300 million has been set aside for surveying, erecting beacons and recovering the landing sites in the first phase of the initiative.
“We are at the final stage of recovering the landing sites. After President Uhuru Kenyatta issued a presidential directive in November 2018 on the grabbed fish landing sites, we have been conducting mapping and sorting out disputes. It is a huge task,” Prof Ntiba said.
The PS said the funds set aside by the Ministry of Lands are being used for surveying, putting up final beacons and implementing other developments.
“Landing sites are important. They are like border posts and we need to protect them as such,” added the PS.
“There are also places through which anyone can venture into the Ocean. If we need to gazette others we will do so.”
Prof Ntiba said currently the government is developing six landing sites at the Coast and Nyanza region.
“We can’t develop all landing sites at the same time. We are developing six landing sites in Lake Victoria and six in the Indian Ocean. But next year we will continue with more repossession and infrastructural developments in the landing sites,” Prof Ntiba insisted.
November last year, he said President Uhuru Kenyatta launched the Liwatoni Fisheries Complex, “which is gazetted as the first fishing port in Kenya to ensure all vessels have a place to put their fish”.
He said the fishing industry can economic growth and create jobs.
The President had directed that all the maritime assets be returned to the government by April 2019.
“I direct the fisheries department and the NLC ( National Lands Commission) to use the full force of the law to ensure all the fish landing sites at the Coast, on Lake Victoria, Lake Turkana and indeed any other lakes and rivers are recovered and secured by the end of the first quarter of 2019,” said President Kenyatta.
In Mombasa alone, 25 fish landing sites have been grabbed by tycoons, according to a report by the county government.
Mombasa has more than 20,000 fishermen while there are 39 fish landing sites in the entire county of which 25 are said to be in private hands.
Likoni sub county tops in the number of fishing landing sites but most of them have either been grabbed or encroached on, hindering fishermen from accessing the ocean.
“At the Coast region, fishermen have been having difficulties accessing the grabbed fish landing sites,” said Wavuvi Association of Kenya chairman, Hamid Omar.
About three weeks ago Mr Kenyatta also announced that the government is rebuilding and upgrading the fishing infrastructure at the coast as part of efforts to expand the region’s and national economic base.
The President said even before the rehabilitation of the Liwatoni Fisheries Complex was complete, there were already 12 Kenyan fishing vessels using the facility.
“And more exciting is that close to 400,000 metric tonnes of fish have landed since the facility was re-opened in November. This may appear small but it is a significant step towards the recovery of thousands of jobs for our fishermen,” he said.
To boost the fishing industry, the President announced government plans to develop designated fishing ports at the coast, facilitate landing of fish by deep sea fishing vessels and finance aquaculture technology and innovation transfers.
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