To help the Country achieve the full potential of its blue resources, the government in partnership with the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD) has validated a five-year National Blue Economy Strategy.
Cabinet Secretary Salim Mvurya said the strategy is timely and will go a long way to facilitate the 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.
The CS stated that Kenya has domesticated the blue economy plan, which was prepared by IGAD member states in 2018 and is scheduled to be launched at a later time, during the validation exercise on Wednesday in Naivasha.
Mvurya stated that in order to assist the strategy being put into practice, his Ministry will develop the appropriate legislation, including the necessary bills, rules, and policies.
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“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 the 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.
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.
