As part of the broad Blue Economy strategy, President Uhuru Kenyatta is today (Monday, November 19) expected in Mombasa to launch the Kenya Coast Guard Service.
The service is tasked by law with the management and enforcement of laws in Kenya’s internal and territorial waters.
According to State House Spokesperson Kanze Dena, the Kenya Coast Guard Service will be responsible for enforcing maritime security and safety, pollution control and sanitation measures as well as prosecution of offenders.
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The new service will also be responsible for port and coastal security, search and rescue and protection of maritime resources, including fisheries.
"It is estimated that as a country we lose over $100 Million in revenues annually due to illegal and criminal activities at sea and this specialised unit will be deployed to safeguard these resources," she said.
The Service will have its headquarters in Liwatoni, Mombasa, and will be led by Brigadier Vincent Naisho Loonena as the Acting Director General.
The 2-day 1st Jumuiya Agribusiness and Blue Economy Investment Conference 2018, kicks-off today at Pride Inn Beach Resort, in Mombasa. President Kenyatta alongside other stakeholders and government officials are expected at the event.
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President Kenyatta will also commission MV Doria, a vessel that will be used by the Kenya Coast Guard Service to patrol the Kenyan ocean.
Uhuru will launch the Eat More Fish Campaign, an initiative by the State Department of Fisheries that seeks to increase dietary intake of fish in the nation.
According to Dena, Kenyatta will also present the Bandari College Charter and further Commission the Kenya Sea Farers Programme.
The two-day 1st Jumuiya Agribusiness and Blue Economy Investment Conference 2018 is a pre-conference of the world’s first Sustainable Blue Economy Conference.
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Kenya will, together with Canada, co-host the event at KICC in Nairobi between November 26th and 28th, 2018.
The two-day meeting will bring together over 7,000 participants from around the world to discuss how to sustainably maximise on the blue economy for development.
"Blue Economy is a new frontier for development as we move to tap into the productive capacity of our water resources and empower communities in a sustainable way."