The government has outlined the gains made to advance the blue economy in the country, days before a major conference meant to unlock the sector is held in Mombasa.
On Thursday, Treasury CS John Mbadi listed some of the gains that have been made under the Sh350 billion sector.
“Five coastal counties have modern landing sites under development: Mwaepe (Kwale) Sh255 million; Kidongo (Mombasa) Sh175 million; Kilifi Central (Kilifi) Sh275 million; Kipini (Tana River) Sh151 million; and Mokowe (Lamu) Sh239 million,” Mbadi said when he presented the 2026-27 budget to the National Assembly.
The CS said each of the sites includes ice and cold storage facilities, boat docking areas, processing points, ablution blocks, market stalls and waste management systems, supporting fish preservation, trade and employment.
These projects are scheduled for completion by June 2026, he said.
Also included in these gains is the lakeside.
Mbadi said there are four fish landing sites in the lakeside region.
He said there are nine sites along Lake Victoria, including Asat, Ogal, Bumbe, Wichlum, Asembo Bay, Wakula, Mainuga, Nyandiwa, and Got Kachola, being put up at Sh1.49 billion and will be ready by end 2026.
Mbadi said the contractor is at the site for the Sh182 million fish landing site along Lake Turkana known as Kalokol.
The project includes docking facilities, cold storage and ice plants, fish processing areas, and market support infrastructure.
Mbadi said the contractor for the Lowarengak Fish Market that is coming up at a cost of Sh185 million is also on-site.
The features of the project include cold storage, hygienic market stalls and processing facilities to support fishers and traders.
Kenya will host the 11th Ocean Conference from June 16 to 18, 2026, marking the first time the global ocean summit is held on African soil.
The conference will take place in Mombasa under the theme ‘Our Ocean, Our Heritage, Our Future’.
Over 4,500 delegates are expected to grace the event with over 20 ministers expected.
The thematic areas during the conference include sustainable fisheries, green economy, marine protected areas, maritime security, marine pollution and climate change.
Kenya’s oceans, lakes, rivers, and groundwater systems represent an underutilised frontier for national transformation.
The vast untapped potential can drive sustainable economic growth, create jobs and improve livelihoods while preserving marine and inland ecosystems.
The National Blue Economy Strategy 2025-2030 shows that fisheries' and aquaculture's contribution to GDP is 0.7 per cent.
Over four million people are supported in the fisheries value chain, while the fish production is valued at Sh30.4 billion.
According to the strategy, maritime trade is valued at over Sh388 billion annually, while illegal, unregulated and unreported (IUU) fishing losses are approximately Sh90 billion.
The strategy shows that aquaculture production potential by 2030 is 450,000 metric tonnes, while the annual fish production is 163,605 tonnes.
Some of the opportunities that the sector offers include coastal and marine tourism that has enormous potential through cruise tourism, water sports, deep-sea expeditions, cultural tourism and ecotourism.
However, challenges such as climate change, infrastructure gaps, pollution and security require targeted interventions.
