MOMBASA fish landing sites

More than 30 fish landing sites in Mombasa county have been grabbed, a report by the Haki Yetu Organisationindicates.The reportwas presented to the Mombasa Assembly Agriculture  Committee on Friday. In the report committee chairman and Mikindani MCA Duncan Onyango said they will name and shame the grabbers in

the assembly on Thursday.

He said landing sites have been grabbed by powerful people in and outside
the county. The report, despite being near the ocean, Mombasa only provides six per cent of the fish in the Kenyan market. It says the county has the potential to provide more than 50

per cent of the fish requirement. According to the report, there are 50 landing sites in the county, 14 of which are gazetted and the rest are awaiting formal recognition. “Sadly, none of the sites, gazetted or otherwise, has a title deed or any form of documentation,” reads the report in part. It says rogue land officials and employees of the defunct Mombasa Municipal Council took advantage of the vacuum and took illegal possession of the sites. The report titled ‘Nowhere To Land’ was prepared in February. 

Haki Yetuboss Fr Gabriel Dolan told the Star on Saturday, the county government needs to invest m ore in fishing.

“There is also no investment in fishing. We are encouraging them (county government) torepossess the grabbed sites,” he said. Haki Yetu programme coordinator Sebastian Menza said thewhole Coast region, with a coastline that stretches more than 800km, comes third, producing just more than 8,000 tonnes of fish annually. Lake Victoria leads in fish production with  more than 110,000 tonnes a year, while fish ponds, most of which are in Central Kenya produces 20,000 tonnes.

“Mariculture (sea fishing) is yet to be fully exploited, compared to freshwater aquaculture. Government-funded
Economic Stimulus Programme saw fresh water fish production grow by 10 per cent
between 2000 and 2010. Fish farming in the ocean was ignored,” Menza said.

There is only one cold storage in the county, which is in Old Town. The only fish  market in Mombasa is in Likoni.

Ref:- See more at: http://www.the-star.co.ke/news/30-mombasa-landing-sites-grabbed-haki#sthash.6kezer4d.dpuf

MOMBASA, KENYA: A Mombasa-based civil society organisation has called for the repossession of grabbed or blocked fish landing sites in Mombasa county.
In its latest report complied in February but released in Mombasa on Monday, Haki Yetu Organisation which is associated with the Bangladesh Catholic Church Parish in Mombasa, listed 51 fish landing sites which it says have been grabbed or are in danger of being acquired by the speculators.
The report indicates that 18 sites were grabbed by individuals and institutions while more than 30 sites have not been gazetted and hence exposed to grabbers.
The report urges the National Land Commission (NLC) and Mombasa county government to carry out a survey and ensure all landing sites are issued with title deeds in the name of registered Beach Management Units (BMUs). It also calls for immediate revocation of titles of the grabbed sites.
The report has been released by the Haki Yetu director and priest in charge of the Bangladesh parish Father Gabriel Dolan.
Father Dolan notes that the coast region annual catch stands only at five percent of the 174,000 metric tonnes of fish produced in the country because of neglect of the coastal fisheries and corruption.
"The report shows that at the heart of unproductivity is corruption. Fishermen have seen their landing sites disappear one by one to hotels, industries, churches, beach plots and foreigners," Father Dolan noted.
The report is titled "Nowhere to land: The case of grabbed, inaccessible and neglected fish landing sites in Mombasa county."
It says that at the Kibarani landing site, Kenya Railways plot number VMN/508 under a 99-year lease with effect from January 1 1966 has been subdivided and transferred to a private company for Sh30 million.
However the report notes that files for various landing sites are missing at the land offices.
Ref:http://www.standardmedia.co.ke/health/article/2000162789/report-51-fish-landing-sites-in-mombasa-grabbed

marine kenya: Lake Victoria Accident

marine kenya: Lake Victoria Accident: Lake Victoria Accident: At Least 30 Feared injured After Boat Capsizes Near Remba Island, Kenya heading to Sori.   Two children died w...

Lake Victoria Accident

Lake Victoria Accident: At Least 30 Feared injured After Boat Capsizes Near Remba Island, Kenya heading to Sori.

 

Two children died when a passenger boat capsized after colliding with a fishing vessel in Lake Victoria in western Kenya.

A local official said fishermen responding to distress calls had rescued 21 of the 23 people on board the passenger boat and recovered the children's bodies.

There were no casualties on the fishing vessel, which also capsized.

The accident happened at about 02:00 on Wednesday morning (Tuesday 23:00 GMT).

A Kenya Red Cross team has been helping in the rescue effort and giving first aid to survivors.

Fishing boats are often to be found on Lake Victoria in the small hours because the waters are calm at that time, Kenyan media say.

Earlier reports had suggested the passenger boat was carrying 200 people.

But a local government official downgraded that figure to 23, and this was confirmed by a boat owner who responded to the distress calls.Both boats have now been recovered from the lake.

At least 30 people are feared dead after a boat carrying 200 passengers capsized early Wednesday in Lake Victoria near Remba Island, Kenya. In this photo, dated March 9, 2009, fishing boats move past the wreckage of an Ilyushin I-76 cargo aircraft that crashed into Lake Victoria shortly after taking off from Entebbe International Airport, 26 miles south of Uganda's capital Kampala.

Update as of 4 a.m. EDT: A boat that capsized in Lake Victoria was carrying 24 passengers and not 200, Capital FM Kenya, a local news network, reported citing an official. Two children died in the accident, according to reports.

“The bodies of the two children aged four and two years have been retrieved. The passenger boat was carrying 24 people while the fishing boat had four fishermen on board. Most of the passengers had life jackets and that is what helped in rescuing them,” John Omusanga, Homa Bay County commander, told the news station.

The boat was on its way to Sori in Migori County from Remba Island in Homa Bay County. An adult believed to be missing after the accident was found later.

Update as of 11:10 p.m. EDT: The Kenya Red Cross Society tweeted saying that it has sent a rescue team to Lake Victoria where a boat carrying 200 passengers capsized early Wednesday.

At least 30 people are feared dead after a boat carrying 200 passengers capsized in Lake Victoria near Remba Island, Kenya, according to Citizen TV Kenya, a local television network. The accident reportedly occurred early Wednesday.

Three bodies, of which two are children, have been recovered so far, local media reported. However, local fishermen at Nyandiwa Beach said that nine people were killed, Daily Nation newspaperreported. The cause of the accident is not clear, however, some local media reports said two boats collided resulting in the accident.

Lake Victoria is Africa’s largest lake and its waters spread across Uganda, Tanzania and Kenya. About 5,000 fishermen die each year due to storms on Lake Victoria, according to a report last month in New Vision, a Ugandan daily, citing a survey by Makerere University School of Public Health in Kampala, Uganda.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wiky0Pg81wE

MV KWALE FERRY AGROUND

Hundreds of ferry passengers were stranded for hours as a ferry stalled in the Likoni channel.

It is believed that the MV Kwale which was headed to the Likoni mainland developed a mechanical problem midstream when it started drifting towards Florida area

The ferry, according to eyewitnesses, had stalled before it was 'pushed’ by raging waves off it course towards the deep sea.

Ms Ali said they tried to swim when the vessel was pushed by sea waves to the shallow waters at Mama Ngina Drive.

No other ferry could reach the stalled MV Kwale because of the shallow depth of the sea at the point it was grounded.

By 6.10pm most of the passengers had already left the vessel while only about 10 vehicles were left still in the ferry.

Panic gripped about 1,400 ferry passengers on board MV Kwale Saturday when the vessel was washed off its course by heavy currents at the Likoni crossing channel.

The ferry, according to eyewitnesses, had stalled before it was 'pushed’ by strong waves off it course towards the deep sea entrance to the port of Mombasa.

Two women, Ms Mwanakombo Ali, 22, and Rebecca Paul, 26, were rushed to hospital for medication after they dived and swam in the sea for fear of drowning.

Ms Ali said they tried to swim when the vessel was pushed by sea waves to the shallow waters at Mama Ngina Drive.

“We had to dive because it was a matter of life and death. We panicked for over three hours waiting in vain for rescue,” she said.

But contacted by phone, Kenya Ferry Services public relations officer Aaron Mutiso dismissed claims that the vessel had mechanical problems that caused it to be pushed by strong winds.

“The vessel was struck by strong sea waves that could not be controlled by the pilot. The waves pulled it towards the deep sea and docked in a cliff at Mama Ngina Drive where the passengers safely alighted,” he said.

According to him, no other ferry could reach the stalled MV Kwale because of the shallow depth of the sea at the point it was grounded.

SHALLOW WATERS

“We could not send a rescue ferry due to the shallow waters which could destroy the propellers of other vessels so the issue of passengers being rescued by MV Harambee does not arise,” he said.

The ill-fated vessel with capacity of 60 vehicles ran into trouble 10 minutes after leaving Mombasa Island to the mainland sparking panic among its passengers when it started drifting off course.

Another victim, Ms Caroline Anyango, 25, said the ferry started showing signs of mechanical problems before it started its trip to Likoni.

According to another eyewitness, the ferry started drifting at around 4.40pm.

“At around that time we heard screams from the ferry. The vessel was in the middle of the ocean and all we could see was the ferry rotating.

“It drifted and came to a halt after hitting the reef,” said Mr Philip Maingi, a photographer at Mama Ngina Drive.

He said the response to the crisis was so slow from both the ferry personnel and the security who did little in controlling the crowd.

Mr Maingi added that after 30 minutes, a second ferry came closer to MV Kwale where some people managed to move into it.

Speaking at the scene, Mombasa Deputy County Commissioner Salim Mahmoud, toldNation.co.ke that he got information and had to coordinate officers from the Kenya Ferry Services, the Navy and other officials to help secure the vessel.

“We only have two women who have been rushed to hospital and the others have successfully managed to disembark from the vessel,” Mr Mahmoud said.

By 6.10pm most of the passengers had already left the vessel while only about 10 vehicles were left still in the ferry.

LIKONI CHANNEL BRIDGE

"Tourism stakeholders in the country have welcomed the government's plan to construct a new bridge at the Likoni crossing channel. Kenya Association of Hotelkeepers and Caterers boss Mike Macharia yesterday said the move will open up the transport sector at the Coast. Prime Minister Raila Odinga on Monday said the government is looking to construct a new high bridge at the channel.

The bridge, the PM said, will be constructed in such a way that it will let big ships into the Mombasa port. “This will solve the many issues at the ferry,” said Raila. He added that the move will complement other plans of turning Mombasa into a special economic zone like Shanghai and Guangzhou in China. “I know of the Dongo Kundu bypass, but if the government is really serious about this issue, then it is good news for Mombasa and the Coast,” said Macharia.

Former Kenya Association of Tour Operators chairman Duncan Muriuki said the industry players have more faith in the government after it showed commitment in implementing most of its plans. “It is the best thing to happen in the tourism industry,” said Muriuki. Kenya Tour Drivers and Guides Association chairman Joseph Parpai said the bridge will fasten the linkage between the North and the South Coast thus redeeming the image of the Coast tourism sector.

Construction of the KES 25 billion bridge connecting Mombasa Island with the Kenyan South Coast will start in February next year.

The Government has announced construction of a bridge across Likoni Ferry channel to ease transport to South Coast. Principal Secretary, Infrastructure Development, Eng John Mosonik said to provide a more reliable link to South Coast, plans have commenced for the construction of the Likoni bridge to replace the ferry. The Likoni Ferry, serviced by the Kenya Ferry Services (KFS) has come under constant criticism over inefficiency particularly from tourism players who have had to grapple with long queues due to delays and ageing equipment. Eng Mosonik (pictured) said the government plans to develop a ring of roads and bypasses around Mombasa to decongest the city. He said designs are underway for the proposed Mombasa Northern Bypass linking Mazeras to the Mombasa—Malindi road in North Coast.

Other initiatives currently underway include a second Nyali Bridge under Public-Private Partnership arrangements. He added that the ministry is implementing one of the flagship projects under Vision 2030 – Mombasa Bypass project linking the West mainland to the proposed port at Dongo Kundu. “The project will play a pivotal role in development of untapped tourism potential in the South Coast,” he said. The Government received Sh25 billion loan from the Japan International Cooperation (JICA) for this project. The project will be implemented in three work packages. Severe traffic The first package is the —Miritini to Kipevu Link Road while the second package is the Mwache to Dongo Kundu, including construction of long –span bridges over the sea while package three involves the Dongo Kundu to Kibundani. He said tenders for work under package one have been evaluated and will soon be awarded with construction works expected to commence in early 2015, with a completion period of 30 months. “Packages two and three will be rolled out in 2015, and projected to be completed by 2018 and 2017, respectively,” he said. Eng Mosonik said through the support of the African Development Bank, the Department of Infrastructure has completed detailed designs and tender documentation for dualling the Changamwe roundabout – Jomvu- Miritini Highway in order to address the severe traffic congestion experienced on the highway. He said financing for the project is being sought. The PS said the design for upgrading and strengthening of the Malindi-Mombasa—Lungalunga road  is at advanced stages, and will be implemented as a regional project under sponsorship from the East African Community.

Already two key border post facilities to enhance trade between the Coastal region and Northern Tanzania have been completed. He said that already regionally, the Mwatate –Taveta road (90 km) is ongoing , Kaloleni –Kilifi road (30 km) is also ongoing while the Maji Ya Chumvi- Bachuma Gate, which is 55 km work has commenced. And after more than five decades, Lamu residents can breath easy following plans by the government to upgrade the Garsen-Nyongoro – Lamu road to bitumen standards under the Roads 10,000 programme. The project is at tendering stage and is expected to be complete in two years’ time

Courtesy of: standardmedia.co.ke

WORLD FISHERIES DAY

 People everywhere depend on food from the sea, not only for their essential daily protein requirements, but also for special occasions such as holiday feasts. Celebrations of the winter holidays traditionally feature fish and other seafood. Italian-Americans famously celebrate Christmas with seven or more courses of fish or other seafood (Festa dei sette pesci). Kwanzaa celebrations by African-Americans often feature seafood gumbo, and the eight days of Hanukkah offer many opportunities for Jews to serve salmon, gefilte fish or other seafood recipes.  But will the ocean always be able to provide the food that helps us survive and celebrate?

Feeding a world population of 9 billion people by 2050 is a daunting challenge. Fish can play a major food security role as long as fisheries and aquaculture are managed effectively and sustainably and with an eye to challenges like climate change and disease. This new report by the World Bank, FAO and IFPRI highlights the changes in global demand for fish and the extent to which that demand will be met by aquaculture versus wild capture fisheries.

The future of global food security hinges on the better management and sustainable development of the planet’s oceans and fisheries, a top United Nations official stressed today, adding that the world could not wait any longer to act on saving Earth’s marine environments.

Speaking at an event on the side-lines of the General Assembly in New York, Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Director-General José Graziano da Silva urged faster action in implementing sustainable practices to protect the world’s “blue economy.”

“We have the know-how, we have the opportunity,” emphasized Mr. Graziano da Silva. “Now is the time to act.”

The event, “Our Ocean: Next Steps on Sustainable Fishing and Marine Protected Areas,” brought Mr. Graziano da Silva together with other leaders, including United States Secretary of State John Kerry, to discuss the importance of the world’s marine environments, both for the health of the planet and for the well-being of those who depend on them.

According to FAO, the livelihoods of 12 per cent of the world’s population depend on the fishing sector. On average, 17 per cent of global animal protein intake comes from fisheries and aquaculture, and demand for fish protein is expected to double in the next 20 years. Yet some 28 per cent of global stocks are already overfished.

In its latest report, The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture, the Rome-based organization warned that the fisheries and aquaculture sector was, in fact, facing major challenges, ranging from harmful fishing practices and weak governance to poor management and illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing.

In response, Mr. Graziano da Silva pointed to FAO’s new “Blue Growth” initiative which, he said, had “the potential to be a leading programme on the major issues related to oceans and their resources.”

This new initiative would seek to provide technical and capacity-building support to governments, particularly those of vulnerable small island developing States, and farmers to develop national strategies for aquaculture development; disseminate and adopt better management and governance policies and best practices that increase productivity; and reduce environmental and disease risk to stimulate investment.

AIDS TO NAVIGATION IN LAKE VICTORIA

AIDS TO NAVIGATION INSTALLATION LAKE VICTORIA

Establishment of navigational aids.

Of obvious importance to the safety of shipping is the establishment of navigational aids such as light houses, lightships, buoys and radar beacons on the Lake. As regards the Seas, an obligation is laid down by the SOLAS Convention on states Parties to arrange for the 23establishment and maintenance of such aids to navigation as, in their opinion, the volume of traffic justifies and the degree of risk requires, and to arrange for information relating to these aids to be made available to all concerned13. Under sections 10(g) and 11(2)(e) of the Act, this obligation is the responsibility of the Lake Victoria Basin Commission and the Maritime administrative Units respectively of the partner states. However the Act is ambiguous in as far as it does not give a criteria and guidelines for the establishment of such aids. Further, it does not provide for mechanism through which this is to be achieved the source of funding as well as a time frame within which states should discharge this obligation. The questions as regards how, when and what happens in case the concerned Authorities do not discharge this obligation is left unanswered. There is a need for redress of this void if safety is to be improved upon in the region.

Moreover, according to the project documents of the Project on Enhancement of the Safety of Navigation on Lake Victoria which are available from the offices of the East African Commision Secretariat at Kisumu, it has come to light that in the past there were approximately 30 navigation aids in the form of visual marks with lights on Lake Victoria. Today there are virtually no aids to navigation on the lake as they have either disappeared or fallen into disuse due to poor maintenance or have been vandalized. The sailing directions, last revised in 1972 are still being used but are rather outdated. So are the available navigation charts of the lake which were last updated in 1956. In addition, nautical surveys were last created between 1900 -1906.

The duty and or obligation to improve safety on the lake is a two way responsibility. That is ship operators on one hand and the responsible contracting governments as well as concerned authorities on the other. It is the responsibility of the three governments of Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda to put in place navigational aids as well as make available updated navigational maps and charts to the Lake users. This is a necessity which cannot be postponed.

In the past years, there were approximately 30 lit and unlit Aids to Navigation but they have almost all disappeared. Today there are no “officially” sanctioned aids to marine navigation on Lake Victoria.

On 12th June 2014 Comarco were awarded the contract to plan, design, supply, install and commission new ATN at the following locations:

·                     Jinja Port – Uganda

·                     Kisumu Port – Kenya

·                     Musoma Port – Tanzania

·                     Mwanza North Port – Tanzania

·                     Mwanza South Port – Tanzania

·                     Kemondo Bay Port – Tanzania

·                     Bukoba Port – Tanzania

·                     Entebbe Port – Uganda

·                     Port Bell - Uganda

·                      

 

Lake Victoria

Located at 1.134m above the sea level, Lake Victoria, with a surface of 20,000 square nautical miles, is the second largest lake in the world. It should be considered as a sea from the point of view of the safety of navigation. The equator crosses it and the length of its coast is about 2.000 nautical miles. It is shared between the three Member States of the EAC: to the North-East, 6 % of the surface belongs to Kenya, to the North and to the West, 43 % belongs to Uganda, and all the Southern part (51 %) belongs to Tanzania.

It includes many islands of which approximately 200 are inhabited. There are numerous vessels plying the lake, cargo, vehicle, rail and passenger ferries. Nevertheless fishing constitutes a significant economic resource as it is estimated the some 2 million receive income directly or indirectly from fishing. It follows that the fishermen are possibly the major navigators on the lake and that often times take greatest risk as some fish from no greater vessel than a canoe.

Three very big urban areas border the Lake: Kisumu which is the third largest city of Kenya, Entebbe/Kampala, the capital of Uganda, and Mwanza which is the second largest city of Tanzania.

OSIL install two data buoys to monitor environmental concerns in Lake Victoria, Kenya 

OSIL recently completed the installation of two data buoys along Lake Victoria in Kenya to help manage the local environment monitoring various environmental concerns including hyacinth menace and contamination of the lake water.

In addition to monitoring atmospheric components of the lake, such as moisture, oxygen levels and temperature, the sensors on the data buoys will also measure wind direction and levels of potentially harmful chemicals in the lake. By better understanding the environment, one benefit is that fishermen will be provided with real-time information on wind patterns helping them to avoid being trapped by regions of floating hyacinth which is blown across the lake.

The 5m tall data buoys measuring 2.6m in diameter were designed and built to be robust and protected from the local wildlife to ensure the security of the data collected. This real-time data will be relayed to base stations at 15 to 30 minute intervals where the data will then be analysed and studied trending changes to the lakes environment.

Richard Williams, Managing Director of OSIL, said: “We are delighted to help support the Kenyan authorities. These innovative buoys are designed by our specialist team in the UK to capture invaluable data which will help preserve Lake Victoria for future generations”