Kenya is banking on the adoption and implementation of its first National Marine Spatial Plan (MSP) to harness her Coastal resources sustainably, protect ecosystem and accelerate her social-economic development goals.
The MSP is set to open a new frontier for investments in coastal spaces, such as in fishing, tourism, energy, and shipping, while ensuring a higher level of environmental and social safeguards.
The 20-year plan, which has been in development for months, is being supported by the government and World Bank through the Kenya Marine Fisheries and Social–Economic Development (KEMFSED) project.
The plan is geared toward ensuring healthy oceans and coastal ecosystems that provide economic livelihoods to respective communities, and it will provide a scientific guide to marine resource exploitation and emerging conflicts among users.
The spatial plan, set to be adopted by mid next year, will see Kenya lead peers in the region, joining Seychelles and Mauritius and will provide a critical tool for managing competing interests within the coastal spaces.
The State Department for the Blue Economy and Fisheries, in coordination with other relevant line government agencies, is spearheading the process, which is in its final stages.
According to Mr Japhet Ntiba, a Fisheries expert and former PS, the plan aligns with the United Nations Decade for Ocean Science initiative which seeks to stimulate relevant knowledge to protect the oceans and provide new opportunities for sustainable development.
Ntiba added that Kenya is already contributing to the initiative that seeks to address various challenges facing the ocean, such as pollution, conflicts, loss of biodiversity, and overfishing, amid concerns over climate change-induced calamities such as sea rise and ocean warming.
The MSP is seen as a key enabler of more coordinated management of marine resources by aligning activities such as fisheries, tourism, marine conservation, shipping, and offshore energy while maintaining the ecological integrity of ocean ecosystems.
On his part, Principal Research Scientist at the Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institute (KMFRI, Dr Amon Kimeli, said Kenya has been aggressive in ensuring the development and implementation of the marine spatial plan is achieved.
Dr Kimeli said the country is finalizing the development of the plan, which is set to unlock the unlimited potential of blue economy resources within the Indian Ocean.
Kimeli, who doubles up as the country coordinator for the Western Indian Ocean Marine Science Association, noted that the plan, once implemented, will further management of key resources within the marine space while eliminating conflicts among key users.
Speaking in Naivasha during the stakeholders’ forum, Dr Kimeli said the MSP will address the existing data and information gap, especially in new sectors such as seabed mining and unlock greater benefits to the country and coastal communities.
The forum follows stakeholder sensitization and engagements in the coastal counties of Mombasa, Tana River, Lamu, Kilifi and Kwale.
The marine plan also aligns with the National development goal and the African Union Agenda 2063 aspirations for inclusive growth, sustainable development and good governance.
Once fully implemented, the plan will address the current uncoordinated use of marine resources which often results in conflicts and environmental degradation.
- By Erastus Gichohi
