Lawmakers were yesterday shocked to learn that the Ministry of Mining, Blue Economy and Maritime Affairs spent Sh1.6 billion to “count fish” in Kenya’s zone of the Indian Ocean in the 2023/2024 financial year.
Members on the Committee on Blue Economy, chaired by Marakwet East MP Kangogo Bowen, also heard that the ministry had budgeted for a total of Sh3.6 billion for the work and is still seeking an additional Sh600 million in 2024/2025.
At a meeting with Cabinet Secretary Hassan Joho and his Principal Secretary Betsy Muthoni Njagi, lawmakers sought to know whether there was any value for money for the “marine fish stock assessment”.
They also asked the ministry to explain why it could set aside Sh3.6 billion to “count the fish” yet it did not raise a “mere” Sh50 million in revenue.
The stock taking, which started on 1 July 2023, is expected to be completed in the 2025/ 2026 financial year.
It will be implemented in three phases, with each costing a whopping Sh1.2 billion.