Time to take charge of our maritime space

Kenya like other developing nations is experiencing high urbanisation growth due to push factors in rural areas and pull factors in townships.

Many towns are former outposts along transport corridors, which initially comprised the railway line and were later supplemented with road networks.

Most of those townships have been stretched to the limit due to population pressure. This has resulted in spontaneous growth of peri-urban areas that threaten food production and drive up land prices.

A new corridor of transportation is in the offing in an area hitherto remote, which will attract investors in various fields, creating a pull factor that will in turn lead to demand for settlement space, thus opening a new frontier for urban development.

The construction of the new Lamu seaport plus the standard gauge railway will be the catalyst to these new developments.

It is an indication that the sea is the new frontier for national development, which in turn will spur development in the hinterland.

With dry land resources diminishing, Kenya’s marine environment will likely to be the main driver of the economy in diverse areas such as agriculture, mining, tourism and transport among many others.

But to be able to exploit the potential of its maritime sphere, it should secure its maritime space.

This will thwart disputes, which are mainly resource-induced and can pose a threat to regional peace, stalling development of new, well-planned urban centres to ease pressure in existing ones.

CONTROL

Coastal nations have control over the ocean adjacent to their coasts up to a maximum of 200 nautical miles, if properly claimed, geophysical condition allowing.

To minimise disputes of maritime boundaries, the international community established the law of the sea, which takes into account changes, diversity and intensity of offshore activities which have transformed maritime boundary requirements.

The international law of the sea was passed via a Geneva Convention known as the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

This legal instrument provides the framework for national claims to jurisdiction over maritime space, delimitation of maritime boundaries and management of the seas.

Kenya should therefore, fast track hydrographic surveys to enable mapping and preparation of nautical charts and eventually establish a marine cadastre.

The national government and local national hydrographic committee should ensure the country has appropriate and affordable spatial data infrastructure.

This will demonstrate its commitment and capability to administer the ocean territory and manage marine resources.

This in turn will ensure success of the new transport corridor and the standard gauge railway.

It will also include issues such as shipping lines, geophysical exploration, oil and gas exploration, defence, fisheries and conservation.

— The writer is a mapping and survey professional