Having been born in Samburu Kenya, Dorcas Naito had naturally lived a fish free life. Not because she personally had anything against fish, but most people in her community did.

“They call fish snake! Because of its scales. Most people also just hated the smell. I never ate fish until I moved to Mombasa. I was introduced to  omena and other fish by my neighbor who is a Luo. I loved it. So I do eat it from her house sometimes, she is very kind to always share. I don’t  cook it for my family yet because I  don’t know how to prepare fish,” shares the mother of two based in Kongowea, Karama.

While speaking on the same, Alvin Musyoka shares that he equally doesn’t eat fish due to its unavailability at his home location.

“Fish is one of the most alien foods to me and I honestly  just haven’t tried it. I also am not a fan of the smell. Where I come from, the people there are not fish-eaters, because of course fish is unavailable. The ones people eat are sourced from Athi River. The supply is very limited. Very small demand and all that,” He shares.

When food security is mentioned in Kenya, the first thought and the one that takes the first priority is maize. Overlooking others including Fish, which is a vital source of essential macro- and micronutrients that can play an important role in reducing the high prevalence of undernutrition in Kenya.

Fish are rich in high-quality proteins with high digestibility and essential amino acids, Vitamins soluble in fats, especially vitamin D3, which regulates calcium and phosphorus metabolism and insulin level. Minerals such as iodine, selenium, zinc, iron, and calcium, Omega-3 fatty acids, which have anti-inflammatory and cardiovascular benefits. And low calories, fat, sodium, and carbohydrates compared to other animal sources of protein.

While the fishing industry in Kenya contributes to food security, employment and rural development, there is a potential which can help grow the industry and generate even more income for the country if deliberate efforts are made to create an enabling environment for both the public and private investments in the industry.

The Kenyan fisheries mainly comprises of capture fisheries and aquaculture.

The natural fisheries are found mainly in inland water bodies (lakes, rivers, dams), and marine and coastal waters in the Indian Ocean. Fisheries are integral to the society and contributes to economic and social wellbeing of the country.  According to the Kenya economic survey, 2021, the country’s annual fish production is approximately 149,700tonnes valued at Ksh. 26 billion which earns foreign exchange amounting to Ksh. 3billion.

The fish production is distributed as follows; freshwater fisheries-70%, aquaculture-13% and marine fisheries-17%. The annual production from artisanal coastal fisheries in 2021 was 25,380 metric tonnes consisting of demersal 48%, pelagic 25%, sharks and rays 11%, mollusk 10% and crustaceans 8%.

The current per capital consumption of fish is at 4Kgs, whereas the African Continent and the global average is 10Kgs and 20Kgs respectively. Around 2.9 kg of seafood is consumed per person annually in Kenya, of which 0.3 kg is from pelagic species.

Kenya Fisheries Service has been campaigning extensively encouraging Kenyans to eat more fish, adhered towards increasing per capital consumption.

The government of Kenya in 2018 stopped licensing foreign fishing vessels hoping that they would invest a lot in the sector, however this was a mistake due to losses in jobs and revenues through fish licensing.

In April 2023, Kenya announced it will now be progressively implementing its 2016 - 2025 National Fleet Development Plan (IOTC 2023). However, upto date only seven industrial fishing vessels (longliners) have been registered, and only four are active. The Spanish purse-seiners have started applying for fishing permits, however, this is dangerous because it may limit the government from developing our local fleet.

According to John Kareko, Coordinator, NatureCom and member of the Tuna Fisheries Alliance,  poor management of natural resources like rivers and others has affected the industry in terms of fish production. But majorly he attributes the low index to cultural beliefs.

 “For a country like Kenya, we are majority of inland communities, i.e. Turkana, which has a big lake for fish but not eaters of the same, they are pastoralists, they see them as snakes. To get Maasais to keep fish in ponds, you have to convince them of water supply so they can water their cattle. The government need to create a system that supports the consumption of fish."shares the fisheries expert.

Adding "For instance, larger parts of the country have no water body. This means the people there have to either drive or travel a long distance to buy fish, so most of them have developed a culture of living without. And lastly; Food safety and regulations. The government has not done the same for fish as it is for meat, no inspection, handlers have not been trained, the government has not put much efforts in spearheading this regulation,” 

Speaking during a recent workshop which was hosted by South West Indian Ocean TUNA Forum on enhancing awareness and capacity among non-state actors regarding regional and international instruments within the blue economy sectors in the Western Indian Ocean Sectors, Chairman, SWIOTUNA-Hadley Becha, recommended that fish be prioritized through investment as a source of food security.

Adding “We have not looked at fish truly as food security, the ministry as well hasn’t qualified fish in terms of their nutritional value, by relating types of fish to their nutritional value and this is what other countries are doing. We should be able to know what we are supplementing in the body."

  "In Kenya, issues of hunger are normally translated to lack of maize, when we can stabilize the fish industry enough to meet food security. This is also by creating a local market, to promote our catch because when you rely on international market we suffer. The situation at the moment is that we have no market in Kenya, the more the local market grows, our fish consumption index will start increasing. If Consumption index is high, the government can bargain for larger quarters, especially in Tuna fisheries,” he concluded.