Last week, CORDIO East Africa hosted a high-impact workshop at Pride Inn Paradise Hotel, Mombasa, bringing together key stakeholders to tackle one of the biggest challenges in small-scale fisheries—weak enforcement and compliance. The event was graced by the County Government of Lamu and Kilifi’s Ministers of Fisheries and Blue Economy, Hons. Ali Mohammed Mbwana and Dr. Patteson Chula, and CANCO Executive Director Hadley Becha. CORDIO Director Melita Samoilys opened the event with a strong call for action, emphasizing the urgent need to strengthen compliance frameworks to protect both marine biodiversity and the livelihoods of coastal communities.
A major highlight was the discussion of the SDG Narrative Model of Action—a conservation framework based on SDG14 (Life Below Water), linking marine resource management to broader socioeconomic and environmental goals. The model promotes integrated, community-driven action from local to global levels.
Key Takeaways:
- Addressing Compliance Challenges: Persistent issues include political interference, resource limitations, and low awareness among stakeholders. There is an urgent need to enhance capacity and foster better collaboration among agencies.
- SDG Narrative Model of Action: – Participants recommended robust GIS systems at the county level to improve marine resource monitoring, and embedding the model in conservation research and collaborative fisheries management.
- Community-Centric Approaches: Emphasized local community involvement and aligning enforcement strategies with socioeconomic realities for long-term success.
- Strengthening Capacity: Emphasized the need to train and equip enforcement officers to enhance compliance monitoring.
- Economic Support: Encouraged the promotion of alternative livelihoods to alleviate economic pressures on fishers.
Next Steps:
- Priority Interventions: Identifying key areas for action at the county level and communicate findings to stakeholders.
- Institutional Collaboration: Strengthening connections between the State Department of Blue Economy and Fisheries and Kenya Fisheries Service to streamline mandates and reduce overlaps.
- Capacity Building: Launching training programs and provide enforcement officers with the necessary tools and resources.
- Promoting the SDG Model: Advocating for the integration of the SDG Narrative Model in local and regional conservation strategies to ensure holistic management.
The workshop marked a vital step toward enhancing collaborative governance and community-driven solutions to ensure sustainable small-scale fisheries and resilient coastal livelihoods. Many thanks to all participants, and to Milkywire, Klarna and the government of Norway for funding support. CORDIO’s Kennedy Oalo, Kim Benedict, Evelyne Ndiritu and Paul Baraka led the exercise.
Source : CORDIO East Africa
