Residents of Mombasa could not hide their joy as a locally made fishing boat hit the waters.

Do you have a lead on a newsworthy story? Share news tips with us here at Hivisasa!

MV Mombasa 001, the first ever locally assembled fishing vessel on the Kenyan soil since independence, will be officially launched on Thursday next week.

Designed specifically for fishermen from the Coast region, the vessel is expected to take fishing in the county to the next level.

The new innovation was a joint venture between the county government of Mombasa and the Kenya Commercial Bank (KCB).

In an interview with the Standard, County Executive in charge of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries, Mr Anthony Njaramba, said the new vessel will be launched by Mombasa Governor Hassan Joho alongside KCB CEO Joshua Oigara at the Old Town harbour.

According to Njaramba, the county government has plans to have 14 such vessels in a bid to boost fishing in the region.

“We are expanding this venture already and hope to have 14 fishing vessels by the year 2018,” said Njaramba.

Joho lauded the move saying it will improve fishing in the region.

“The deployment of this vessel will empower and drastically improve the daily catch of Mombasa fishermen who have been using dug-out canoes to fish in the deep seas, which only end-up endangering their lives,” Joho said.