The Fisheries Bill 2023 has run into headwinds after stakeholders in the fisheries, aquaculture, and blue economy sector dismissed it as retrogressive and ill-suited to address the needs of a fast-evolving multi-billion-shilling industry.
During a public participation forum convened by the National Assembly Departmental Committee on Blue Economy in Kisumu, aquaculture investors led by the Lake Victoria Aquaculture Association (LVA) called for the bill’s immediate withdrawal, terming it a copy-and-paste of the Fisheries Management and Development Act, 2016.
LVA Board Secretary Pete Ondeng, in his submissions to the committee during a public participation meeting in Kisumu, said the draft law ignores key developments in the sector over the past seven years and risks stifling the growth of aquaculture, widely seen as the future of fish production in Kenya.
