The national government through the Ministry of Mining, Blue Economy and Maritime affairs is in the process of procuring large fishing vessels that will enable Kenyan fishermen venture into the high seas for their trade.
Ministry of Mining cabinet secretary Hassan Joho while ground breaking the construction of the Ksh. 275 million Kilifi Central Fish landing site at old ferry in Kilifi town, Kilifi County said that the vessels will have a storage capacity of more than 10,000 tonnes of fish and urged fishermen to organize themselves into Beach Management Units (BMUs) if they were to benefit from the project.
“We are bringing you boats that can access the deep seas so that you can bring as much catch as possible and when we bring the boats, we will have to organize you so that one boat can be given to several groups so that they can go fishing in turns,” said Joho.
He said that the Kenya Marine Fisheries and Socio-Economic Development (KEMFSED) project was also investing Ksh. 1 billion to develop fish landing sites in the five coastal counties of Lamu, Kilifi, Tana River, Mombasa and Kwale with the projects aimed at enhancing the management of priority fisheries and increase access to complementary livelihood activities for coastal fishing communities.
“We started by distributing 123 fibre boats and that changed your lives in one way but now we want to upgrade to large vessels,” he said.
The Kilifi central fish landing site will entail the construction of a modern fish banda equipped with an ice flakes machine, a cold storage room, a fish gear mending shed, a fish market and a floating jetty among other facilities.
KEMSFED project has so far provided grants worth Ksh. 607 million to 176 women groups engaged in fisheries and related value chain activities in Kilifi County.
Governor Gideon Mung’aro who accompanied Joho together with Kilifi North MP Owen Baya and his Malindi counterpart Amina Mnyazi said that the deep sea fishing boats will revolutionize the fishing industry in the area.
“If all the fish in our territorial waters is brought in, then our people will get jobs and uplift their lives through fish business,” he said.
Baya on his part urged the ministry to designate Kilifi as a special economic zone for ship building so that the area can attract more investment in the blue economy.
“Our fishermen must get the necessary equipment that can enable them to bring more fish to the shore. I also urge the ministry to designate Kilifi as a special economic zone for ship building,” he said.
Amina said that the fish market coming up in Malindi town will be a game changer that will benefit not only fishermen but all businessmen in the area.
“There were stalled projects but since you came in as CS, the projects have been revived and my people will also get development and enhance their fishing business,” she said.
