Bondo: Stakeholders in the Fisheries sector in Bondo and Rarieda sub-counties have urged parliament to draft two distinct bills to regulate the aquaculture and fisheries sectors separately in the country. This call was made during a public participation session on the Fisheries Management and Development Bill 2023.

According to Kenya News Agency, participants in the session included leaders from Beach Management Units across the two sub-counties and investors in the aquaculture sector, including fish cage operations. They expressed concerns that the current bill lacks comprehensiveness in addressing the distinct operational differences between aquaculture and fisheries, despite their similar objectives. Albert Altena, CEO of the African Blue and a member of the Lake Victoria Fisheries Association, criticized the bill as a mere replication of the 2016 Fisheries Act, failing to incorporate new technologies, climate change, and pollution issues. Altena emphasized the need for separate legislation to recognize aquaculture as a critical component of fish production in Kenya.

The stakeholders, addressing the parliament’s Departmental Committee on Blue Economy, Water, and Irrigation led by David Bowen, highlighted that the existing bill creates confusion regarding the roles of national and county governments, thus hindering sector growth. Bowen acknowledged the need for clarification of government functions in accordance with the law and recognized the stakeholders’ demand for separate bills for Fisheries and Aquaculture.

Bowen, Marakwet East MP, along with committee members Kamket Kassait and Joyce Bensuda, noted that stakeholders also proposed a clause to ensure funding for Beach Management Units (BMUs), which struggle financially despite their executive powers to manage beaches for both governmental levels. Bondo MP Dr. Gedion Ochanda, who hosted the parliamentary committee, emphasized that the Fisheries Management and Development Bill needs substantial improvements to address technological advancements and operational changes in the sector since the 2016 Act.