Kenya Coastal Management Initiative

Kenya Coastal Management Initiative Phase 2 (2002-3)

The Kenya Coastal Management Initiative (phase 2) aimed to improve natural resources management by and for stakeholders along the coast. It demonstrated how an integrated governance approach can combat the increasing pressures along Kenya’s coastline. Recognizing where Kenya was in the coastal management process and the importance of producing on-the-ground results, it concentrated activities at the local level while building capacity and constituencies more broadly to inform the national environmental process. The local project activities were focused in the areas of Jomo Kenyatta Public Beach, Diani-Chale ,and Shimoni-Vanga.

On the Jomo Kenyatta Beach, two public beach groups (fishers and boat operators) continued to provide beach-clean-up services, and to maintain the public toilets/showers activities that were initiated during the KCMI Phase 1. The beach groups greatly improved the office communication by installing telephones and are providing visitor information on the type and cost of services. They also undertook general visitor center improvement and landscaping. The boat operators entered into a partnership with a private tour operator service. This new private-public sector partnership markets and sells marine tours in/around the Mombasa Marine Park area.

Targeted support to the Diani-Chale Management Committee (DCMC) resulted in a renewed level of trust between the members of the committee and technical advisers (government and NGO). All major meetings were planned well in advance and were implemented as planned. This level of commitment, in turn, helped elicit trust.

Stakeholders meetings highlighted the different types of fishers that use the Shimoni Vanga area. In addition to the traditional fishers who use traps, nets and hand lines, this included aquarium fishermen, sports fishermen such as Pemba Channel company, sea cucumber fishermen and the cross boarder fishermen from Tanzania. This highlighted the reality that there exists a broader dynamic of fisheries and fishing activities in the area.

The community identified the need for a Locally Managed Marine Area (LMMA) to address fisheries challenges in the area. This concept has been endorsed (and will be additionally supported) by the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) and several private business enterprises in the area. The proposed LMMA will actually consist of a network of adjoining community-based fish sanctuaries and reserves currently managed by local fishermen. This network will be facilitated by joining-together of already-existing fishermen associations in the area.