Turkana stakeholders urge reforms to fisheries Bill to protect local fishers and blue economy

Leaders and other stakeholders from Turkana County have raised concerns over the composition of the proposed Kenya Fisheries Council and Fisheries Marketing Authority, saying the draft institutions are heavily skewed in favour of national government representation.

The sentiments were expressed during consultations in Kalokol on the proposed Fisheries Management and Development Bill, 2023, when the National Assembly's Departmental Committee on Blue Economy, Water and Irrigation met with the Turkana County Government and beach management units (BMUs) to gather input on the Bill, officially Assembly Bill No. 29 of 2023.

The Bill seeks to establish a legal and institutional framework for the management, development, utilisation, and conservation of Kenya's fisheries and aquatic resources.

Stakeholder engagement

The National Assembly committee is conducting nationwide stakeholder engagement in line with Article 10 of the Constitution on public participation.

Turkana’s Deputy County Secretary, Albert Gamoe, welcomed the consultations but warned that the draft Bill, in its current form, does not reflect the realities of devolved governance.

"The majority of seats are taken up by national officials, with only one slot left for counties," Gamoe said.

"Increasing county representation, especially for blue-economy counties like Turkana, would give us a fair voice."

Gamoe further criticised the centralisation of key fisheries institutions in Nairobi, proposing that the Fisheries Council and Marketing Authority be decentralised to counties which have major aquatic resources such as Kisumu, Mombasa, Nakuru and Turkana.

Devolved functions

He emphasised that fisheries and aquaculture are fully devolved functions and said the Bill should clearly outline county roles.

"As drafted, the Bill disadvantages counties. Our functions must be well spelt out," Gamoe said.

County Chief Officer for Fisheries and Aquaculture Peter Ikaru echoed these concerns, urging clarity on the roles of both levels of government to avoid duplication. He also called on legislators to consider the full fish value chain—production, aquaculture investments, processing, and marketing—rather than focusing solely on Lake Turkana.

The National Assembly committee was led by MPs Paul Nzengu Musyimi (Mwingi North) and George Gachagua (Ndaragwa).

Musyimi assured stakeholders that their views would be incorporated into the final draft.

Other Topics To Read

• Northern Kenya
• Turkana County
• Blue Economy
• fisheries
• Beach Management Units
• Kenya Fisheries Council
• Fisheries Marketing Authority
• Turkana stakeholders urge reforms to fisheries Bill to protect local fishers and blue economy
• Headlines

"Citizen involvement deepens good governance. Your contributions will shape the Bill," he said.

BMU representatives also raised key concerns.

Call for stipends

Stephen Ekuwom, the chairperson of all BMUs in Turkana, called for stipends to support BMU management teams across blue-economy counties and urged the committee to address double licensing, noting that fishers currently pay fees to both national and county governments.

Leah Ewoi of the Kalokol Fishing Organisation appealed to MPs to use the Bill to rein in cartels and middlemen exploiting local fishers.

"We need provisions that eliminate cartels and stop the sale of illegal fishing gear at the source. This will protect our local traders," she said.

Key components of the Bill include the establishment of the Kenya Fisheries Service, management of fisheries resources, aquaculture development, conservation and prevention measures, enforcement, monitoring and surveillance, and provisions for public participation.

The parliamentary committee is expected to table a refined version of the Bill in Parliament after completing public consultations across the country.