Kilifi small-scale fishermen decry punitive fines

Fishermen at Mayungu beach in Kilifi North Sub County, prepare their boats to go fishing in the Indian Ocean. [File, Standard].

Small-scale fishermen in Kilifi have protested against new laws enacted by the national government, terming the proposed fines for those found flouting regulations on fishing gear punitive.

Malindi Sub-County Beach Management Unit (BMU) Network chairman Salim Ali, said the exorbitant fines slapped on small-scale fishermen were unreasonable.

Ali said most small-scale fishermen were languishing in poverty and need time or support to upgrade their fishing gear.

He noted that most fishermen were being arrested for using prohibited monofilament nets.

The chairman said the prohibited monofilament nets were being sold in the market and wondered why the government was punishing those buying them.

"If the government has banned monofilament nets, then why are they are still available in the market? This is a ploy to continue impoverishing our fishermen and making them poorer every day," he said.

He warned that the law risks criminalising sustainable traditional fishing practices.

Ali said it was unfortunate that a fisherman found guilty of using monofilament nets faces a fine of Sh300,000 or a five-year jail term.

Shella BMU chairman, Yunus Aboud, called for harmonised fisheries law with input from small-scale fishermen who are the majority in the region.

"The law stipulates that a fisherman should pay Sh7,100 as licence fee, but it does not categorise the vessel sizes, hence, small-scale fishermen end up suffering," he said.

Aboud appealed to the government to gazette and issue title deeds to all fish landing sites from Kiunga to Vanga to secure them from land grabbers.

Kibibi Karisa, a fishmonger in Malindi, decried the harassment of fishermen, saying that it was affecting their livelihood.

"I urge the government to be reasonable and allow us to do business in peace; they should stop harassing our fishermen because when the fishermen get in trouble, we also count losses since there will be no fish," she said.

Natural Justice, a non-governmental organisation that is helping the locals fight for their rights, said that the local fishing stakeholders have not been consulted on the new laws.

"We are going to protect the fishermen from laws that are infringing on their legitimate economic livelihood, and we call on the review of the Fisheries Management and Development Bill, 2024," said Justus Tsofa, a lawyer working under Natural Justice.