Coast clear for construction of Kwale’s Sh20bn fish port

All is set for the construction of the Shimoni Fishing Port near the sea border with Tanzania as Kenya seeks to boost the blue economy.

The government will pump Sh2.6 billion in the first phase of the project, which begins next month. The Kwale county government has already transferred a title deed to Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) for the land.

The feasibility study was done by Maritime & Transport Business Solutions from the Netherlands and completed in 2020. It was approved last year, where 16 firms were shortlisted to construct the facility. It has not yet been confirmed which company won the tender.

Kwale Governor Salim Mvurya and KPA acting Managing Director John Mwangemi held a meeting last week to deliberate on a project. 

“We are in full support of this project, which we had recognised in our County Integrated Plan in 2013. The port will change the local economic fortunes of Kwale at large. We want our people to get first priority in jobs because we have educated them through bursaries,” he said.

Mr Mvurya is also the chairman of Jumuiya ya Pwani, a regional economic hub set for the integrated development and exploitation of the blue economy.

KPA General Manager for Infrastructure Development, Mr Vincent Sidai, said the key components of the project include the construction of a jetty parallel to the existing one, refurbishment of current offices, a yard, cold storage facilities and a fish market.

The project had been delayed by geographical issues as the land initially allocated did not favour a port. 

Environmental concerns

Fishing is the leading economic activity in Shimoni and Vanga. Other than the marine environment, Shimoni also has heritage sites, such as colonial ruins and slave caves, which attract researchers and tourists.

The current jetty was spared to avoid economic and social disruptions. The new port is expected to revolutionise business. Some residents have, however, raised environmental concerns, including the disruption of marine life.

The area hosts the Kisite Mpunguti Marine National Reserve, where snorkeling and scuba diving is common. Mr Feisal Abdalla, a Wasini resident and a tour guide, said they were worried about dolphins and other marine animals that attract tourists.

The need for a fishing port in Kenya is justified by the annual deficit of 365,000 tonnes of fish against an annual demand of 500,000 tonnes.

The country imports fish worth about Sh2 billion despite having a 1,420-kilometre long coastline. “The completion of the port and supporting infrastructure will spur economic activities,” President Kenyatta said in 2019. Shimoni is strategically positioned and has a locational advantage to harvest tuna fish.

The project got a major boost in 2020 when stakeholders gave it a clean bill of health. KPA was instructed to incorporate environmental concerns.

In an assessment report for the project, the National Environment Management Authority (Nema) had earlier said the project would have adverse effects on the environment and the Kwale fishing community.

Fishing activities 

Nema said it would negatively impact on tourism products, including Shimoni slave caves and the Kisite-Mpunguti Marine National Park.

Nema said it would lead to navigational risks, result in loss of mangroves and terrestrial vegetation cover. 

It also listed dredging and dumping on water quality, air and noise pollution, climate change adaptation, pollution from fish processing activities, introduction of invasive species and oil spills.

KPA was advised to use silt curtains to localise turbidity to the dredging area and develop and implement a biodiversity monitoring plan to mitigate impact of dredging on biodiversity. 

The contractor has been instructed to commence dredging during the off season of the migratory marine megafauna common at Kisite-Mpunguti Marine National Park.

The contractor has also been directed to update the number of fishermen in the study area and carry out potential dredging activities during the South East Monsoon season when there are reduced fishing activities. 

On the impact of seaweed farming, KPA will use silt curtains to localise turbidity to the dredging area, prevent oil spills, and support local women groups to re-establish affected seaweed farms in suitable locations. 

There are hundreds of seaweed farmers in Kwale, whose livelihood depends on the crop for value addition including making soaps, shampoos among other products. 

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