The newly appointed Mining, Blue Economy and Maritime Affairs Cabinet Secretary, Ali Hassan Joho has ordered all those involved in grabbing fishing landing sites along the coastline to immediately surrender them.
Joho, said fishermen along the coastline lost their landing sites to land grabbers, further warning that those who illegally acquired the parcels of land will be lawfully dealt with.
According to Joho, such people labelled ‘private developers’ have hugely crippled the fishing sector along the coastline, adding that such important landing sites should be returned to their rightful owners, who are the fishermen.
Joho warned that the grabbers should do so before the government removes any illegally structures erected along fishing land sites without any form of compensation.
“I mean they have to start moving out before we enforce any eviction actions against the land grabbers. It will be business unusual,” CS Joho warned.
Skills
The Mining CS was addressing the press in Mombasa on Monday after paying a courtesy call to the Kenya Maritime Authority Chairperson, Khamis Mwaguya. He also inspected the Liwatoni Fisheries Complex that stalled, with Joho assuring Kenyans that the construction will be accompished in the next one year.
Joho further challenged the Maritime body to develop a program which will equip youth pursuing the Maritime related professions so that they get skills even before they complete their high education and start looking for jobs in the sector.
“We need the maritime body to be critical to the youth pursuing maritime related courses so that they get what we call ‘sea time’ for them to acquire skills needed to work in the maritime sector,” stated the Mining CS.
He challenged the governments from the five coastal counties bordering the Indian Ocean being Mombasa, Kwale, Kilifi, Tana River and Lamu to initiate programs which will benefit the youth venturing into Maritime sector that include the Blue economy.
Speaking at the same event, Kenya Maritime Authority Chairperson Khamis Mwaguya cautioned seafarers to only work with registered agents and International maritime companies top evade predicaments that comes as results of dealing with rogue agents.
