Fishermen in Kilifi County demand that the government stop interfering with their ability to conduct business in the Indian Ocean.
Instead, the fishermen are pleading with the government to develop policies that will safeguard undocumented small-scale fishers.
The fishermen, led by Mr Charles Nyale, head of the umbrella Kilifi Beach Management Units (KBMU) organization that includes 17 BMUs, denounced ongoing harassment by the Kenya Coast Guard Services and the Kenya Maritime Authority.
Over 35,000 fishermen work in Kilifi, according to Mr Nyale, but only 20,000 of them are officially registered with BMUs. He added that those who aren’t registered are mainly seasonal fishermen who go to sea to catch fish for their families rather than sell.
“Climate change has affected fish stock in the Indian Ocean and to get good quantities you must go in the deep sea. Landing sites have been grabbed and beach walls have been erected and it has blocked access to the sea,” he said.
According to Mr Nyale, there are 103 fish landing sites in Kilifi County but most of them have been grabbed and have pending court cases hence cannot be developed.
“We have surrendered coordinates to the county physical planner but nothing has been done to. It is true we have been given this project but how will we implement it with all these problems,” he said.
He also called on the government to consider sponsoring fishermen at the Bandari College in Mombasa to acquire the coxswain certificate to reduce harassment at sea.
The Kenya Maritime Authority (KMA) ratified legislation that require all boat operators to have a coxswain certificate, a thing that has proved difficult for local fishermen since they cannot afford school fees.
“The government should sponsor us at the Bandari College so that we can get the coxswain certificates to reduce harassment. We also need rescue boats to help in times of emergencies,” he added.
The cries of the fishermen come at a time when the government through the ministry of Mining and Blue Economy headed by Cabinet Secretary Salim Mvurya is distributing funds to various groups whose activities are aligned with the blue economy.
Mr Mvurya issued cheques worth Sh. 98.8 million to 35 groups in Kilifi on Friday and encouraged fishermen to turn the BMUs into cooperative societies.
The project is implemented under the Kenya Marine Fisheries and Socio-Economic Development (KEMFSED) project towards uplifting the lives of communities.
“We have done mapping and we have 445 BMUs across the country that we want to transform into cooperative societies so that they can be able to access credit and inspire the economy of fishermen in our country,” said Mvuyra.
The CS also toured Lamu County where he gave Sh. 48 million and Kipini in Tana River County where he gave Sh. 33 million to groups.
He added that the government had released Sh. 320 million to five counties in the coastal region to support communities who are dependent on fishing.
The CS was also accompanied by Fisheries Principal Secretary Betty Njagi and said that the funds were part of the Sh. 10 billion World Bank funded Blue Economy programme for the six counties in the coast region.
Mr Mvurya also warned the Kenya Coast Guard Services and the Kenya Maritime Authority (KMA) against harassing fishermen in the Indian Ocean.
This is after Kilifi Deputy Governor Flora Chibule complained that area fishermen were being harassed by the KCGs and KMA officers.
Mrs Chibule urged the CS to let fishermen ply their trade in the Indian Ocean without harassment.
