By James Odhiambo

A Kenya Marine and Fisheries Institute backlog is blocking the take-off of Kenya’s seaweed farming, with the majority of farmers’ applications stuck and most of the 43 per cent of the coastline now confirmed as suitable similarly awaiting approval.

Growing interest has seen more than 100 applications submitted, but only 34 seaweed farming licenses had been issued by early 2024, with the majority in just a few locations in Kwale County. Most remain stalled at the mandatory sustainability review by the Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institute (KMFRI), which is a legal requirement before any marine farming activity can begin.

As Dr David Mirera of KMFRI explains: “The real bottleneck is not climatic unsuitability but institutional lag. Long delays in sustainability assessments hinder scale-up. Farmers in newer sites such as Kilifi and Lamu are ready, but they are still waiting for the green light to begin operations.”

Even after KMFRI clears a site, farmers must register with their local Beach Management Unit (BMU), undergo site verification by county fisheries officers, submit proposed farm layouts, and then wait for national-level approval through the State Department for Fisheries. Farms larger than 1 hectare or located in ecologically sensitive areas also need a full Environmental Impact Assessment.

The entire process can take between 3 and 9 months—even for farmers with a confirmed site and prepared farm plan.

Yet the licensing delays are compounding an already limited opportunity. Bathymetric and ecological surveys show that only 190 to 230 kilometres of Kenya’s 536-kilometre coastline are physically and biologically suitable for commercial seaweed farming.

The remaining 57 per cent of the coast is unsuitable due to steep shelf drop-offs, high wave energy, unstable or muddy seabeds, and dense coral reef exposure. These conditions make it impossible to establish or anchor seaweed lines and prevent the light penetration and water calmness needed for growth.

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The suitable sites are only in shallow, sheltered lagoons and reef-shelf systems, where the water depth ranges from 0.5 to 2 metres at low tide and the seabed is sandy or firm.

The farming zones that meet these criteria are;:

Kwale County – approved:

• Kibuyuni
  
• Gazi Bay
  
• Wasini
  
• Funzi
  

Kilifi County – pending KMFRI review

• Kanamai
  
• Da Gama Point
  
• Mida Creek
  
• Kilifi Creek
  

Lamu County – pending review

• Kipungani
  
• Manda Bay
  
• Kiunga Marine Reserve
  

Tana River County – pre-assessment

• Ngomeni
  
• Ungwana Bay
  

These areas meet the physical criteria, and many have strong community interest. But without KMFRI sustainability clearance, no farming can proceed.

This potential, which spans two types of high-value seaweed, Eucheuma and Kappaphycus, has triggered interest from Coastal farmers, extractors and traders as a value chain serving the global demand for seaweed for food additives, packaging,and cosmetics. In this, Kenya’s potential for nearly year-round harvests offers a strong production advantage.

But this opportunity is at risk of capture by highly financed corporates with the legal and technical capacity to navigate the extended approval processes.

“The opportunity is not hypothetical. It exists,” said Dr Mirera. “But its gatekeeper is not geography—it is procedure.”