Kenya Marine Spatial Plan Initiative
Enhancing sustainable harnessing of the Blue Economy for accelerated social-economic development
Kenya MSP
Kenya Marine Fisheries and Socio-Economic Development (KEMFSED) Project is supporting an initiative to develop Kenya’s national Spatial Plan. The process is led by the Ministry of Mining, Blue Economy and Maritime Affairs in collaboration with other government ministries and agencies. It is coordinated by the State Department for the Blue Economy and Fisheries.
The Cabinet approved the development of the national MSP in March. Marine spatial planning will enhance sustainable economic development of the blue economy through allocation of space in the ocean for diverse uses that include fishing, mining, energy, tourism, shipping and conservation
Determining the allocation of marine space for different uses and users requires a systematic, consistent and robust process that is integrative, adaptive and strategic, considering the current and future uses through a marine spatial plan.
Systematic process
MSP has emerged as a systematic approach for harmoniously integrating the principles of ecosystem-based management into multi-objective plans through a participatory, transparent and equitable process. MSP is cross-sectoral in nature and thus, special consideration must be given to how sectors interact during the planning, design of the plan and the implementation of the agreed actions.
The process is highly consultative and the active participation of stakeholders from all sectors that have an interest in Kenya’s ocean space. Stakeholder engagement is continuous, open and inclusive. The process includes consultative forums at the regional, national and local level (counties), and two-way communication across multiple channels.
The journey to developing an MSP for Kenya started in 2018, with the commissioning of an MSP Scoping Study. The study provided a baseline and recommended a series of actions to kick-start marine spatial planning in Kenya.
Subsequently, development of the Kenya MSP was included as a critical initiative for ocean governance in the KEMFSED Project.