Sectoral Diagnostic Report for the Kenya Fish Sub-Sector: Supply Capacity, Firm Level Performance, Markets, Policy Environment and Constraints

Abstract

The Fisheries sector in Kenya plays an important role in the economy by providing employment and income to over 500,000 Kenyans engaged in fish production and related enterprises, fish trade and industrial fish processing. Fish is also a rich source of animal proteins for human consumption and provides raw material for the manufacture of animal feeds. Over the last 10 years, the fish industry role in foreign exchange earning for the country has continued to increase and its full potential is yet to be realized. The Kenya Fish sector is characterized by a mainly artisanal fishery at the production level, an array of middlemen traders who move the product from production areas to processing units or local consumers mainly in the urban areas and processors/exporters. The industry is organized around community-based fishermen; Government support institutions, urban merchandising centres, some small scale processing activities such as drying and large scale export oriented factories (see fig 1). The post-catch marketing channels of fishery products destined for export markets differ significantly from those meant for local consumption. The tonnage of fishery products consumed locally is currently about par with that which is exported.