The Ministry of Mining, Blue Economy and Maritime Affairs in partnership with Inter Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD) has validated a five-year National Blue Economy Strategy to help the country achieve full potential of her blue resources.
Cabinet Secretary Salim Mvurya said the strategy is timely and will go a long way to facilitate exploitation of maritime resources which has a huge potential in helping to grow the economy and in employment creation.
“We are currently exploiting only eight percent of the potential of the blue economy, that is oceans, lakes and rivers which have a huge potential to transform the economy of the country”, Mvurya said.
Speaking during the validation exercise in Naivasha on Wednesday, the CS said Kenya has adopted and domesticated the blue economy strategy which was developed by IGAD member states in 2018 and is set to be launched at a later date.
Mvurya noted that his Ministry will formulate policies, relevant bills and regulations which will be transformed into necessary legislation to help operationalize the strategy.
“My ministry has mapped out over 400 Beach Management Units across the country which will be converted to cooperatives by June this year to enable them access financial credit and turn them into commercial enterprises,” the CS observed.
Mvurya reiterated that the government will establish fish landing sites at designated areas and equip them with key infrastructure including storage cold rooms, value addition units and market linkages for fisheries resources.
“We will soon launch the construction of a Sh1 billion project in Kisumu that will be producing over seven million fingerlings to serve the country’s water bodies and over 2,000 fish ponds across the country”, Mvurya said.
He added that they have engaged the Defense Ministry to enhance surveillance across the maritime resources across the country to address rising cases of illegal activities on the high seas.
According to the Council of Governors [COG] chair on Blue Economy Issa Timamy, the strategy will ensure blue economy resources are fully tapped to create job opportunities and improve livelihoods.
Timamy who is also the Lamu governor said they have partnered with the national government to establish three landing sites in Lamu to facilitate the fisheries activities in the Indian Ocean.
IGAD Country Representative Dr. Fatuma Adan said the regional body will support governments to harness the potential of their blue resources.
Dr. Adan said Kenya is among few countries that have benefited from the African Development Bank funding to grow the economic contribution of the blue resources to the country’s Gross Domestic Product.
Speaking during the event, Njoro MP Charity Kathambi Chepkwony who is a member of the Parliamentary Committee on Blue Economy and Irrigation said Parliament will come up with necessary legislation to support implementation of the strategy.
She called for immediate action on rising pollution cases that have affected the country’s water bodies and marine life adding that climate change poses a great danger to the maritime sector.
CS Mvurya was flanked by Blue Economy Principal Secretary Betsy Muthoni Njagi and National Assembly and Senate members of the Blue Economy and Irrigation departmental committees.
By Mabel Keya – Shikuku and Erastus Gichohi
