Kenya National Report - Phase 1: Integrated Problem Analysis

This report is a culmination of the Integrated Problem Analysis process on priority issues carried out on the Kenyan marine and coastal resources and the identification of underlying causes, within the GEF MSP Sub-Sahara Africa Project on Integrated Problem Analysis. The Kenyan coast runs in a southwesterly direction from the Kenya-Somali border in the north, at 1o 41’S to 4o 40’S at the border with Tanzania. It lies in the hot tropical region where the weather is influenced by the great monsoon winds of the Indian Ocean (UNEP, 1998).

The Kenyan coast falls within the Eastern African Region, which on an ecosystem perspective, falls within the Somali Current LME (Alexander, 1998). The most distinctive features of the coast include the continuous fringing coral reef from Vanga-Funzi in the south to Malindi Bay in the north; the Tana River, which discharges through a major wetland system into Ungwana Bay; the Sabaki River, which discharges just north of Malindi; Mombasa inshore water areas, with its main harbour at Kilindini that serves many of the Eastern African countries; the Lamu Archipelago in the north with its extensive mangrove forests and Wasini Channel in the south, separating the mainland from the Wasini Islands and some other smaller coral islands. T

he Kenyan total population is 28.9 million people, with approximately 2.4 million people dwelling along the coastal areas, where coastal resources provide food, shelter, fuel, medicine and employment. The population is un-evenly distributed with the national average density standing at 44 persons km-2 and that at the coast ranging from 10 - 280 persons km-2.

The coastal and marine environments of Kenya are extremely rich in resources. However, they are the least studied among the Kenyan natural environments and there are information gaps in the data and information base. Climatic seasonality has a significant impact on the activities of coastal communities, influencing fishing, agriculture and other economic activities. Fish catches depend on the state of the sea, hence reflecting the seasonality of the fishing activities. The economy in the urban centres depends heavily on maritime trade and harbour activities, commerce and tourism, with the latter heavily dependent on the rich biological diversity and the health of the environment. In the rural areas, the main economic activities include food production particularly agriculture and fisheries and small-scale enterprises and retail services. Agricultural practices along the coast of Kenya are predominantly small-scale but there are some plantations of coconut and sisal.

The various socio-economic activities put tremendous pressure on the critical marine and coastal habitats include coral reefs, estuaries, mangroves, and seagrass meadows, which are addressed by this report.