Fishers in Mombasa, Kilifi raise red flag over proposed marine plan

Small-scale fishers in Kenya’s Mombasa and Kilifi counties have raised concerns that they are being left out of the country’s Marine Spatial Plan (MSP). Speaking at a forum where the draft Strategic Environmental and Social Assessment (Sesa) report was circulated for public comment, fishers said the process could harm them if their views aren’t considered, potentially leading to continued conflict with authorities. Nyali BMU chairperson Said Hamisi argued that the Sesa report shows small-scale fishers were not adequately involved during early groundwork and warned that implementing it as is could hurt those communities. Community Action for Conservation of Nature (Canco) executive director Hadley Becha said fishing is tied to local cultural values, so landing sites and access areas must be included and secured.