Sh1.8bn Liwatoni fish landing project to be ready by October
The development of the Sh1.8 billion Liwatoni fish landing site into a state-of-the-art fishing port is expected to be completed in three months.
Once completed, fishing vessels operating in Kenya’s territorial waters will be required to land their catch at the facility.
The project, allocated Sh1.8 billion in the 2021/2022 financial year, was earlier dogged by corruption allegations, with ongoing investigations interrupting work.
But Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Peter Munya said tendering for the construction was advertised and work on the physical infrastructure had started.
“Construction of the fish landing site is ongoing, there were a few challenges, which we have addressed,” he said.
“Opening of the tender was done on Thursday. There was a re-tendering to pick somebody who will install the machines. But the building of the physical infrastructure has been ongoing.”
Work stalled for months due to graft allegations. The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) has been investigating procurement flaws in the awarding of the Sh1.8 billion contract.
“There were challenges earlier but they have been looked into. They have been allocated Sh1.8 billion. They have already advertised some of the ongoing projects,” said Silas Tiren (Moiben), the chairman of the National Assembly’s Committee on Agriculture chairperson, last month when he and other lawmakers visited the facility.
President Uhuru Kenyatta launched the project in November 2018 to harness Kenya’s potential in the blue economy. It intended to increase fish production from the current 146,687 metric tonnes (MT) to more than 350,000MT in the next five years.
It was later gazetted as the first fishing port in Kenya to ensure all vessels have a place to store their fish.
EACC launched investigations and suspended all payments related to the project pending the outcome of the scrutiny, said its CEO Twalib Mbarak.
In a March 2021 letter to Fisheries and Blue Economy Principal Secretary Francis Owino, Mr Twalib said EACC was looking into allegations of procurement irregularities in the awarding of the contract.
“We, therefore, advise that any payments related to the contract herein be suspended pending investigation,” the letter said.
Daniels Outlets Ltd was awarded the tender to build the facility but the government has accused it of violating the conditions of the contract, leading to its termination.
Dr Owino accused the contractor of corruption and fraudulent practices and ordered the firm to immediately leave the site.
Phase one of the project involved renovating office space and removing asbestos sheets that were banned in 2013 by the environment watchdog Nema.
Since it started operating, more than 35 large and small fishing vessels have docked and offloaded 2,330.69 MT of fish, generating revenue of Sh10 million.
Some 15 of 18 licensed local commercial and semi-commercial vessels landed fish at the jetty - three prawn trawlers, three longliners, three-pot vessels and six purse seiners.
Longliners and purse seiners operate in Kenya’s exclusive economic zones, where they target largely swordfish, billfishes, tuna and tuna-like species. The pot vessels operate in the deep sea off the north Coast targeting deep-sea crabs.
The challenges affecting activities at the Liwatoni jetty include lack of enough working equipment, cleaning services, safety and operational equipment like fire extinguishers, poor condition of boundary wall for enhancing security and lack of a CCTV system to enhance security surveillance.
Phase one of the complex was completed in September last year, with the government planning to revive the coastal fishing industry.
In phase two, the State is building another cold room to increase the jetty’s capacity. The jetty will be extended to create more space for vessels.
“New projects ongoing are the structure of the 500MT cold room, remodelling of the fresh and frozen factory in the former fish meal factory, powerhouse, reorganising of the electric cables in the complex, desalination plant with a capacity of 480 cubic metres per day and construction of a seawall to protect the properties at the Liwatoni,” said Kenya Fishing Industries Corporation CEO Dr Mikah Nyaberi in a past interview.
The facility includes a cold room and a high-level water tower with a capacity of 100,000 litres.
The blue economy sector is one of the emerging economic frontiers expected to significantly contribute to the country’s economic growth and development as envisaged in Kenya Vision 2030.
The fishing port will provide a first-class fisheries jetty, adequate cold storage, a fish processing facility, a fishmeal factory and a fish auction centre.
There will also be office space to accommodate fishing operators, traders and bunkering facilities, as well as space for boat repair and maintenance. This is expected to attract local and international operators. BY DAILY NATION
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