The Mining and Blue Economy Cabinet Secretary Hassan Joho has ordered a fact-finding team to investigate serious claims of misconduct by a contractor. The probe follows accusations by fisherfolk from Old Town, who allege that the Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) deposited dredged material onto critical fishing grounds, a direct violation of government directives. This act, the fisherfolk claim, has severely depleted fish stocks and put their communities at risk.

The Cabinet Secretary, who was a former Governor of Mombasa, wasted no time in addressing the grievances. During a high-level stakeholder meeting, he stated that the contractor was explicitly instructed to dump the dredged material 17 kilometers offshore. He issued a stern warning, promising "punitive action" if the contractor is found to be culpable of flouting the directive. The meeting brought together representatives from Mombasa’s Beach Management Units (BMUs), led by their Chairperson Brian Mwakudza Maojo, alongside other key stakeholders, including County Assembly Speaker Aharub Khatri and Members of the County Assembly.

Maojo, speaking on behalf of the fishing communities, painted a grim picture of their current situation. "We have endured losses for far too long. The dredging has damaged our fishing grounds and left many of us struggling to survive," he said, a statement that underscores the urgency of the matter. Speaker Khatri echoed these sentiments, urging any fisherman with video evidence of the dredge dumping to present it directly to the Cabinet Secretary, a move that would facilitate swift and decisive action.

The meeting also served as a platform for the fisherfolk to air a range of other grievances. These included the lack of indirect compensation for 16 boats affected by the Standard Gauge Railway project, environmental damage from dredging, delayed delivery of five boats under the Kenya Marine and Fisheries Socio-Economic Development Project (KEMFSED), and encroachment of landing sites by private developers. They also questioned the continued inactivity of the Liwatoni Fisheries Complex, a project that was meant to be a game-changer for the local fishing industry.

In response to these concerns, CS Joho made a series of pledges. He tasked five BMU chairpersons with carrying out a site inspection of the Mavuno ya Bahari eco-restaurant and reporting their findings to his office. He also revealed plans to boost coastal fish production through new aquaculture projects involving rabbitfish, tilapia, and prawns, and he announced that negotiations for KEMFSED II were already underway. As a further sign of his commitment, he instructed the Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institute to develop income-generating initiatives and training for the fisherfolk.