Kenya Ports Authority has set a two-year timeline for completion of the Sh2.6 billion modern fishing harbour at Shimoni Port, Kwale County.
Development of the industrial fishing port project commenced last month with Southern Engineering Company (SECO) as the main contractor.
The multi-purpose berth is part of the wider Sh20 billion Shimoni Fishing Port, which will also incorporate fish and conventional cargo handling, cold storage facilities, reefer stations and processing plants for value addition.
“We are commitment to complete the ongoing construction within 24 months,” general manager Shimoni Port, Daniel Ogutu, said.
The project is part of plans by the government to maximize benefits from the country’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) in the Indian Ocean, which is still hugely untapped.
According to Mining and Blue Economy CS Salim Mvurya, government has started implementing about Sh10 billion blue economy projects in the five coastal counties, to boost earnings from the sector.
Kenya is tapping fishing technology from Iceland to improve earnings from the sector with artisanal fishermen at the centre of the corporation.
“The potential in the Indian Ocean is beyond what we are doing now. Currently, the country is catching a paltry eight per cent of the potential fish stocks. We want to change this,” Mvuria notes.
Shimoni will be the first port facility dedicated to processing of fish for exports and value addition, as the state drives the blue economy agenda with the putting in place of policies, institutional changes, incentives and funding.
According to the government, the maritime sector has the potential to contribute up to Sh500 billion to the GDP annually.
The country has 370 kilometers from the shore into the Indian Ocean , 600 kilometers of coastal length and about 10,700 square kilometers of navigable inland waters.
Shimoni is expected to help tap into the vast fishing industry with the Exclusive Economic Zone said to have an annual potential of 350,000 metric tonnes.
It is currently yielding a paltry 9,134 metric tonnes worth about Sh2.4billion.
Overall, Kenya produces 180,000 tonnes per year, Agriculture ministry data shows, including from its inland water sources, against a consumption demand of about 500,000 tonnes.
This has seen the country import fish with China being a key source.
Poor fishing facilities and gears have been blamed for hindering local fishermen from fully reaching their potential.
