Kenya out for a piece of the Indian Ocean

Kenya has moved swiftly to make public a policy on ocean management, a condition given by the United Nations before it is granted a massive territorial extension it applied for in the Indian Ocean.

The policy consolidates different ocean management interventions contained in various documents and is developed in harmony with internationally accepted principles of ocean management.

It also conforms to ecosystem-based management and integration which aims at promoting peaceful use of the ocean.

The main thrust of the policy is the realisation of integrated ocean and coastal management in order to establish the requirements of a holistic approach for the sustainable use of ocean space and marine resources covering the country’s internal waters, territorial sea, the exclusive economic zones and the continental shelf.

If implemented, the policy will put Kenya at the fore of acquiring an additional 103,000 square kilometres of the Indian Ocean following an application in May.

The United Nations has asked Kenya to publicise the policy in order for the citizens to have knowledge on how it is going to manage the large area to be added to the country.

Its main areas of concentration will include co-ordination and integration of all coastal and ocean related activities and advancing sustainable multiple use of ocean resources and maintenance of biodiversity.

The proposed integrated ocean management strategy is expected to catalyse the neglected investment in national marine capacity development “in order to attain a critical mass of trained manpower necessary to exploit maritime resources” as outlined in Vision 2030.

“This policy will invest in appropriate coastal and marine infrastructure, have in place an Ocean Development Strategy, research in marine science and technology; and establish a special Ocean Development Fund. This will enable Kenya manage conflicts between resource users. Ownership of a programme to manage ocean and coastal resources and space requires capacity,” it reads in part.

The implementation of the policy will however be based on the need to put in place ocean management institutional and legal frameworks. This process will require that the policy gets Cabinet approval as well as that of Parliament.

Subsequent to the approval by the two institutions, the Attorney General will be required to draft and present the Integrated Ocean Management (IOM) Bill to Parliament for debate and enactment into a national law.

Kenya joined other African nations in May to gain additional territory beyond their stipulated 200-nautical-mile territorial waters.