Ruto's Sh6.3b fishery plan takes shape to tap marine wealth

President William Ruto on Thursday launched the construction of Sh2.6 billion Shimoni Port as he outlined his plan to tap the multi-billion-shilling marine fisheries in the Indian Ocean.

He also directed that the tender for the construction of a Sh1 billion fish hatchery be re-awarded to another contractor following rising complaints of delays against the one on the site.

Shimoni port, hatchery, Mombasa’s Sh1.45 billion Liwatoni Fish Complex, 11 fish landing sites, and equipping fishermen are billed as a springboard for Kenya’s quest to tap the marine fisheries. “The Shimoni port will have a processing plant for value addition. We also have an international market next to the port and these will create thousands of jobs,” said Ruto yesterday.

The Shimoni Fish project is adjacent to the famous tourist site Kisite-Mpunguti Marine Park and would encompass a modern jetty measuring 75 metres by 30 metres with a causeway of 135 metres long and 7 metres wide.

It will also have other amenities like a power substation, water storage tanks, a perimeter fence, a main ablution block, a fish meal plant, a bio-digester, and a waste-water management processing plant.

Kenya Ports Authority says construction of the Shimoni port, anticipated to have an annual throughput of 50,000 metric tonnes, is at 38 per cent complete, and it will be ready for use by October next year.

The project is part of President Ruto’s plan to unlock the fisheries potential in the Indian Ocean to improve income and food security and create jobs for locals. According to data from the Kenya Fisheries Service, marine fisheries contribute only 26,000 tonnes of fish annually, about 17 per cent of the total national fish production.

This is way below the potential of 150,000 to 300,000 tonnes per year, said KFS, adding that in 2020, fish caught in the marine landing dropped by seven per cent from 27,740 tonnes in 2019. Ruto said construction of the Sh1.2 billion maritime institute in Kwale would also be complete next year. The college, he said, will equip the youth with skills related to fishing, shipping and logistics.

Construction of the East African Maritime Institute in Kwale started in 2021 and is expected to admit over 1,000 youth to be trained on blue economy.

Among the courses he said youth should enroll in are port logistics, construction, maritime and coxswain. He said the state will pay fees for the youth keen to undertake the coxswain courses. “I have directed that the contractor currently at the Sh1 billion fish hatchery be moved out. We are looking for another contractor to complete the job,” he said in Shimoni.

He said the hatchery was key to Shimoni Fishing Port Complex to restock fish in the Indian Ocean and guarantee the supply of the catch.

Ruto also said his administration would construct 11 fish landing sites along the Indian Ocean from Lamu to Lunga Lunga for fishermen to offload their catch. The Kenya Kwanza regime is also funding the Beach Management Units (BMU) to purchase modern fishing gear to venture into deep sea fishing.

The President has also urged Coast youth and residents to enroll in skill-based courses to benefit from jobs that will arise from new projects. The president was accompanied by his deputy Rigathi Gachagua, CSs Kipchumba Murkomen (Transport), David Chirchir (Energy), Salim Mvurya (Blue Economy), and Kwale Governor Fatma Achani.