Blue Economy is the buzz word in today’s Coast politics. Although its meaning is little understood by the average person, the general understanding is that with the success of Blue Economy, coastal communities would prosper.
The World Bank has defined Blue Economy as the "sustainable use of ocean resources for economic growth, improved livelihoods and jobs while preserving the health of ocean ecosystem."
The European Commission, on the other hand, defines it as "All economic activities related to oceans, seas and coasts.” Presently, Kenya’s Blue Economy is underperforming.
Both the World Bank and the European Commission agree that Kenya’s gain in the blue economy is currently estimated at slightly below 10 per cent of its net potential. There is room for improvement. This underperformance may also mean the continuation of the economic marginalisation of the coast region.
Blue Economy can be categorised into three major economic sectors. The first is the fisheries and aquaculture where the local shortfall for fish as food is estimated at 80,000 tonnes annually, despite the Kenyan waters being home to about 25 per cent of global pelagic and demersal fish.
The second is the maritime transport and logistics. A short ship turnaround time is critical as this makes sea freight less costly. The turnaround time currently at the Mombasa port stands at 1.7 days, down from 2.3 days.
However, without quick handling clearance, transportation and storage of the cargo, the port and its auxiliary facilities could get clogged up, resulting in the increase of the ship turnaround time.
The third element to consider is tourism. Mombasa as well as North and South Coast have well developed beach resorts, though beach sports are yet to reach a competitive stage.
Water sports is, however, on the rise offshore, though deep-sea fishing is yet to reach its potential due to costs. Marine life tourism is popular, but due to the cost of equipment it is also yet to attain an optimum. Marine pharmacology as a subsector has great potential as an employer and revenue generator.
These economic issues also raise the question of political leadership. Who among the Coast leaders can spearhead the delivery of the benefits of the Blue Economy?
The starting point is the Mombasa county political leadership. This is because, in part, the county is the economic and political hub of the region. The Mombasa port is the key employer for local communities, and the principal gateway for the Coast, upcountry and neighbouring countries.
Current political actors in this county include Governor Abdulswamad Shariff Nassir, former senator Hassan Omar Sarai, former Kisauni MP Ali Mbogo and Nyali MP Mohammed Ali. Individually or collectively, the combined contributions of these leaders could drive the much-acclaimed Blue Economy in Mombasa county and across the Coast region.
In the last 10 months, Governor Nassir has been able to lead the way, with Mombasa ranking as the top county out of 47 in own-source revenue collection. This has been done in part by sealing revenue leakages through the adoption of upgraded technology and incentives to collectors, even though the much-publicised benefits have not been fully felt at the grassroots levels.
On the flipside, the governor has been accused of indecisiveness, especially because he appointed members of his cabinet late after he assumed office, and the county’s new chief officers have not yet been sworn into office. This indecisiveness is reported to be the result of negotiations with Hassan Joho, his predecessor, who still holds a lot of influence in the county assembly and some members of the executive.
Governor Nassir’s dalliance with the UDA in Mombasa has also been a matter of concern to some ODM members, raising fears that he may be denied the party ticket in the next elections.
Omar is the first Mombasa senator and two-time contender in gubernatorial elections. He is currently the vice chairperson of UDA and a legislator in the East African Legislative Assembly.
The former senator is credited with establishing the party’s administrative structure in the coastal region. He has been instrumental in the restoration of logistics policies advantageous to the Mombasa County, securing strategic appointments into government and its agencies for residents.
The recently launched well-resourced entrepreneurial initiatives in the county is reported to be Omar’s pioneer grassroots empowerment programme, which is also speculated to be UDA’s prototype programme for other counties.
Suleiman Shahbal is the person behind the much-acclaimed Buxton Point apartments in Mombasa county. He is an accomplished businessman-cum-politician, and Member of Parliament in the East African Legislative Assembly. Shahbal is two-time candidate of Mombasa gubernatorial race, with experience in international commerce and resource mobilisation and personal branding.
Politically, however, Shahbal is like the proverbial flying dove; he changes political parties at will. His flagship Buxton Point apartment project has also been criticised for favoring landlords, and not owner-occupiers as previously advertised in the Social Media Housing Programme.
Mbogo, on his part, is one of the more aggressive politicians in Mombasa county who has shown a keenness to vie for the governor position in 2027. As the only MijiKenda politician so far to have indicated he may vie for position, he ought to start with a large voter base, if he can unite his community.
Judging by previous voting patterns, the populous but conservative Mjikenda have to first believe that Mbogo is the likely winner, before they would rally around him. So far, he has not projected that aura of inevitable victory.
Then there is Ali. A Borana with roots from Isiolo county, he spent his early life in central Kenya, hence his fluency in Kikuyu. Ali’s name recognition helped promote UDA as a competitive political party due to his vitriolic criticism of the previous government and Joho.
However, Ali’s name has taken a dent due to his silence on government taxation measures, which provoked even the usually laid-back coastal region to rise up in protest.
Can these Mombasa county leaders, alongside others, deliver the fruits of the Blue Economy to their constituents and across the Coast region?