Kilifi County in partnership with the national government has donated 18 engine-propelled boats for use in off-shore fishing in the County.
Kilifi Governor Gideon Mung’aro officially launched the boats at the Buntwani Sea Front Grounds in Kilifi’s Sheila Ward, where he said the local fisherfolk would be able to venture into the deep sea and thus improve fish landing.
Fourteen of the boats were donated by the National Government through the World Bank-funded Kenya Marine Fisheries and Socio-Economic Development (KEMFSED) Project, while four were donated by the Kilifi County Government through the Shella Ward Development Fund.
The governor said the Kes 98 million had been spent on KEMFSED projects in phase one of the programme and that another Kes 281 million would be sent in phase two, with beneficiaries drawn from agriculture, livestock, and fisheries sub-sectors.
Mungaro said the objective of the project is to improve fisheries as well as socio-economic development in the Coast Region, noting that his administration had laid down strategies aimed at improving performance in the fisheries sub-sector.
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“The strategies include helping the fisherfolk acquire modern fishing gear, which includes modern boats, and formulating progressive legislation to enable the sector to perform in a secure environment."
He said in the financial year 2022-2023, the county government had facilitated the implementation of 35 projects to the tune of Kes 98 million, while in the current financial year, his government would facilitate the implementation of 100 projects to the tune of Kes 281 million.
“43 projects will be implemented in the fisheries sub-sector, 16 in the livestock sub-sector, 31 in agriculture, five in the environment, and another five in infrastructure development,” he said.
