By Fadhili Fredrick
A Sh1.06 million community grant has transformed the lives of a women-led octopus fishing group in Pate Island, Lamu county.
Shanga Ishakani Women Fisher Group got the funds from Kenya Marine Fisheries and Socio-Economic Development (KEMFSED).
In a phone interview with FarmbizAfrica the group’s founder and chairperson Ms Amina Ahmed said they received the funds which they topped up with their own contribution of Sh199,000 to buy 30 cooler boxes and 15 deep freezers.
She said it is a valuable investment that has enabled the group to preserve and transport octopuses to markets.
“The equipment has empowered us and enabled us to bargain for better prices without worrying for the post-harvest losses as we experienced before,” she said, adding that they can now transport their harvest to as far as Mombasa county.
Also the group, with support from other partners they bought two boats enabling them to access their expansive 115 acres of protected octopus breeding ground.
This designated area in the Indian Ocean is closed to fishing thrice a year for three-month periods before harvesting.
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Ms Ahmed acknowledges that this has led to an exponential increase in stocks and the restoration of marine life.
She underscored the gains the group has made since its inception in 2019 recording an upward trajectory.
Famously known as ‘Mama Pweza’ losely translates Mother Octopus, Ms Ahmed says the group registered one of the biggest harvest of 1,527 kilogrammes from 186 kilogrammes in 2019.
They earned at least Sh656,610 selling a kilo at Sh430.
Now the annual harvest increased by two tonnes in 2023 and has been sustained with about 600 kilos recorded for the first quarter of 2024.
Ms Ahmed says she is proud of what the group has become setting the pace in the fishing industry as members can independently feed and educate their families.
“I’m a single independent mother. I’m able to fed and educate my family through the proceeds from octopus sales. I have two children in highschool,” she said.
Besides that Ms Ahmed has built a permanent house with the money accrued from the venture.
She reckons that the investment has not only improved members life but also the surrounding community at large.
For every kilo sold, the women contribute Sh30 to their group for community projects.
In 2021, they bought a Sh120,000 plot and partnered with the county government to build the first ever nursery school called Pweza.
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“The nursery school is full operational giving an opportunity to our children to learn,” she said, adding that they have employed a teacher to compliment the county government which has hired two teachers.
The success of the group has reached far and wide as Ms Ahmed says she got an invite to initiate and mentor other fisher women groups in neighbouring Kwale County.
The county recently launched octopus breeding grounds in a move aimed at improving locals livelihoods.
Photo Courtesy: The Kenya Marine Fisheries and Socio-Economic Development (KEMFSED)
Cold storage grant boosts octopus fishing in Lamu
