Mining and Blue Economy CS Hassan Joho wants grabbers of fish landing sites to vacate immediately.
Joho said fishermen were finding it difficult to carry out their activities.
“Those are property of fishermen. So, if you have built a house on a landing site saying you own a beach plot, start pulling it down slowly. Take your time and bring it down before we come to do it for you,” he said.
He spoke at the Kenya Maritime Authority offices in Mombasa on Monday after a meeting with KMA chair Hamisi Mwaguya and other dignitaries. Joho was accompanied by Maritime Affairs PS Geoffrey Kaituko and his Blue Economy counterpart Betsy Muthoni.
Mombasa county alone has over 46 landing sites and 23 are believed to have been grabbed.
Joho encouraged fishermen to have sustainable programmes to succeed in their trade.
“And to do this, fishermen have to have a place where they can dock, get the fish out of their boats, process them and get them to the market,” Joho said.
The CS called on the county commissioners and governors bordering the sea and other water bodies to work together to ensure the grabbed landing sites are handed back to the public.
The ministry would deploy mining experts at the Mombasa port to verify minerals before they are exported from Kenya.
“We don’t want someone to miss-declare cargo and make away with minerals. That requires some specific expertise,” Joho said.
He said the Kenya Revenue Authority and other agencies are not properly equipped.
“We have engaged with the Kenya Ports Authority to raise the matter. That is critical because we do not want to lose even a cent that belongs to the public.
“The government must be focused to ensure we get our rightful dues,” he said.
The CS said he would meet governors of counties bordering the sea to devise ways of giving seafarers requisite sea time.
“Sea time is the biggest challenge our budding seafarers face,” Joho said.
Kenya Maritime Authority chairman Mwaguya said sea time is key for seafarers but warned that recruitment should follow the right protocol. He said unlicensed agents usually dupe seafarers into working in vessels.
The seafarers are stranded after ship owners fail to pay to ensure their safe return. “That is why we ask seafarers to log in to our website and find the licensed agencies that can safely and confidently recruit.”
