Kwale County’s newly completed Shimoni Port is set to be a game changer in the County’s fishing sector addressing long-standing challenges while also offering economic opportunities to the locals especially the youth.
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‎Local fishermen in Kwale County have long relied on old-age infrastructure, outdated fishing methods and old limited storage facilities which have limited their post harvest profits. This coupled with the underutilized marine resources has played a role in small-scale fishermen lacking the means to fully benefit from the Indian Ocean’s bounty.
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‎However, the newly constructed and well equiped Shimoni Fish Port once operational will enable simultaneous berthing of two fishing vessels due to it’s 75-meter by 30-meter jetty and a 135-meter causeway marking a significant milestone in increased operational efficiency and deeper water access.
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‎The port will also host additional key infrastructure mechanisms including a fish processing plant, cold storage units, reefer stations for refrigerated containers, a power substation, ice-making plant, bio-digester, and a wastewater management system to ensure environmental sustainability.
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‎Local leaders from the area have already lauded the project calling it a much needed boost to the fishing sector and blue economy in Kwale County and Coast region at large with former Lungalunga MP and now current NTSA board Chair, Khatib Mwashetani calling the project “an initiative that stands as a beacon of hope for our youth, offering both direct and indirect opportunities to uplift their livelihoods.”
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‎The National and County Governments are also collaborating on the construction of a modern fish market adjacent to the port which will provide a marketplace for the fishermen hence ensuring the fish value chain is stable.
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‎As the port begins operations, hopes are high among local communities that decades of underdevelopment in the fishing sector will finally be reversed turning Kwale’s coastline into a thriving economic zone.