President Uhuru Kenyatta has called for county governments to
work closely with the national government in order to deliver on the
development pledges to Kenyans.
Speaking at the port of
Mombasa where he commissioned a research vessel donated by Belgium, the
President told senators and MPs to rise above partisan politics and
support laws that will transform the country and improve livelihoods.
“The
Legislature should work with the Executive on transformative laws that
will bring tangible development and transform the country,” the
President said. He asked the Senate to enact laws that ensure prudent
use of public resources by county governments.
President
Kenyatta also welcomed the proposal by sea-fishing counties to work
together with the national government on policing of the Kenyan seas and
clamp down on rampant drug trafficking in the coast region.
FISHERIES RESEARCH
The
Head of State was commissioning the Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research
Institute’s RV Mtafiti, a vessel to be used for fisheries research and
conservation of marine life in the Indian Ocean that was donated by the
Flanders Marine Institute (VLIZ) and the Fund for Scientific Research in
Belgium.
The 56 metre-long Offshore Patrol Vessel
(OPV), the largest of its kind in the region, will undertake physical,
chemical, geological and biological oceanography research besides
carrying out fisheries stock assessment within the Exclusive Economic
Zone (EEZ).
President Kenyatta said the vessel will
also be utilised for exploratory experimental fishing to establish
suitable means for the optimal exploitation of marine fisheries, and
that the vessel would go a long way in improving the country’s capacity
to safeguard its marine resources against illegal, unreported and
unregulated fishing.
President Kenyatta said lack of an
offshore research vessel for oceanographic study and stock assessment
has been a major obstacle to research and management of marine stocks.
“Our
monitoring, control and surveillance of these fisheries will now be
improved by the offshore patrol vessel,” the President said.
He
stressed the importance of oceanographic research to government
institutions concerned with deep-sea resources, county governments and
private investors undertaking sea-farming or other marine ventures.
The
President regretted the loss of billions of shillings to illegal,
unreported and unregulated fishing. The figure was estimated at Sh12
billion by the Marine Fisheries Taskforce four years ago.
President
Kenyatta also noted that the country's marine fisheries contribute only
five percent of the 174,000 tonnes of local fish produced, despite the
waters off the coast being a large and rich fishing area, saying local
fishermen had been confined to near-shore coastal waters due to their
lack of deep-sea fishing equipment leaving the marine exclusive economic
zone for exploitation by other nations.
FISHING UNDER-EXPLOITED
The
government was aware of the challenges facing the local fishing
industry, the President said, and was exploring the feasibility of
increasing production from Kenya’s waters in the Indian Ocean, adding
that funds have been made available for an additional offshore patrol
vessel which will soon be deployed.
“We are a
significant maritime nation. Though no complete stock assessment has
been carried out, various studies show that this fishery is
under-exploited,” said the President.
Kilifi governor
Amason Kingi said the five sea-fishing county governments will work with
the national government on policing the maritime borders.
Mr
Kingi said the county and national governments would also work together
on a special police unit to check on illegal fishing and drug
trafficking.
West Flanders governor Carl Decaluwe said
partnerships between his regional government and Kenya have been
developed on joint marine research, exchange of expertise and capacity
building and gave assurances that the donated vessel was mechanically
sound.
He added that better knowledge of marine
resources was a key contributor to Kenya’s economic development and
thanked the President for his steadfast support of the project
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