Kenya

Country Profile

Fisheries sector plays a crucial role in Kenya’s job creation and income generation, supporting directly approximately 135,000 fishers and fish farmers, and about 1.5 million fish workers in total, working as aquatic food processors, traders and sellers, and suppliers of fish feed, fishing accessories, etc. As of 2023, its total aquatic food production was about 161,300 metric tonnes, valued at USD 280 million.

Kenya’s aquatic foods production is largely led by inland capture fisheries, with an estimated 67 percent of total production coming from its vast lakes, rivers and dams. Africa’s largest lake, Lake Victoria, shared with Tanzania and Uganda, alone accounts for 80 percent of Kenya’s fish production. However, the catch is declining because of increasing population pressures, overfishing, climate change, alien species invasion and excessive nutrient land run-off.

While the country has a 1,420 km coastline when irregular shorelines and islands are included, the mainland shoreline is about 600–650 km. Marine coastal fisheries in Kenya remain underdeveloped and are dominated by small-scale fishers. Since 2016, the country has promoted the creation of locally led Beach Management Units along its mainland coastline, opening doors to improve income opportunities and the livelihoods of its coastal communities.

WorldFish’s Support

WorldFish has been working on gender-related challenges in Kenya’s fisheries for a while and expanded its technical support to aquaculture and coastal fisheries since 2022. It provides integrated technical support directed at both promoting sustainable aquaculture production and management of its small-scale fisheries and marine resources to increase the country’s aquatic food production, strategically aligned with Kenya’s Blue Economy strategy. Through collaborative research, technology transfer, capacity strengthening, and diverse partnerships anchored in equitable aquatic food systems, WorldFish is working to improve food and nutrition security, inclusive job creation, and climate resilience for vulnerable communities.

Key Initiatives

Sustainable Feeds for Resilient Aquatic Food Systems: The project implemented in Nigeria, Kenya and Zambia, aims to develop and reach thousands of smallholder fish farmers with low-cost, highly nutritious fish feeds—the biggest bottleneck in aquaculture—with the aim to increase profitability and reduce waste and pollution.
Promoting Gender Equity in Fisheries and Aquaculture: WorldFish has been providing technical support to Lake Victoria fishing communities with a lens on gender and climate change. Fish loss and waster is another area of focus for gender-sensitized interventions as women make up most of workforce in post-harvest handling and processing.
Sustainable, Resilient and Prosperous Coastal Communities: Through Asia–Africa BlueTech Superhighway, WorldFish is working with coastal communities largely in Mombasa county to digitize fisheries management, introduce integrated mariculture systems, and adapt climate-smart food loss and waste technologies to local market contexts.
Climate-Resilient Aquaculture Systems in Kenya: The five-year project, launched in 2025, is working with local partners, farmers, and value chain actors across Kenya to create a more productive, inclusive, and climate-resilient aquaculture sector, leveraging GIFT, WorldFish’s high-performing tilapia strain.

Fast Facts

6 percent of Kenya’s 52.4 million people live below poverty line.
29 percent of children in rural areas are stunted.
Per capita average consumption of fish is only 2.5 kg/year compared to 10.54 kg/year recommended by WHO.
Kenya imports 7,000 tonnes of aquafeed annually.

Enabling Impact

WorldFish’s longstanding collaboration with the Homa Bay County culminated in the launch of a Fisheries and Aquaculture Development Policy in November 2025, which paves the road for inclusive development and modernization of its fisheries. Projects started since 2022 are already enabling paths for improved and sustainable livelihoods through technical interventions. Testing and refining of Integrated Multi-Trophic Aquaculture (IMTA) systems are creating promising opportunities for new income revenue streams and diversifying markets with innovative seaweed products, while improving water quality. Solar freezers are showing ways to increase incomes for women through reduced fish loss and waste in Kilifi County. Insect-based feeds, especially black soldier fly larvae, under development, could be a game-changer for Kenya’s aquaculture sector.

Moving Forward

Building on WorldFish’s ongoing large-scale projects in Kenya, in October 2025, WorldFish and the Government of Kenya signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to further strengthen cooperation on advancing Kenya’s blue economy and fisheries sector. A centerpience of the collaboration is strengthening Kenya’s national capacity through the creation of a learning hub for best practices, new technologies and expertise sharing.

Partners