Pledge to upgrade Faza facility brings hope of better fish prices

The county government has said it will upgrade Faza Fishing Cooling House to reduce the number of fish lost due to lack of proper storage facilities.

Fishmongers in the area have in the past also complained that they are forced to sell their catch at throwaway prices because the Sh16 million facility, built by the Government, cannot store a large number of fish.

Ice maker

Speaking to The Standard, County Fisheries Development Director Simon Komu said plans are under way to acquire a machine with a capacity to make and produce about eight tonnes of ice blocks daily.

The facility, built three years ago, is currently only able to produce about two tonnes of ice blocks in a day which Mr Komu said is not enough to serve locals.

The director said fishermen at Faza, Kiunga, Kiwayu, Pate and Kizingitini are expected to benefit once the facility is upgraded.

He said the county government is negotiating with Kenya Coastal Development Project and World Wide Fund to raise funds and purchase the machine that will be fitted at the cooling house.

"This ice making machine will be fitted at Faza Fishing Cooling House and is expected to serve more fishmongers due to its higher ice making capacity," Komu said.

The director said proper storage will help reduce the number of fish that perish which will fetch better prices for the fishermen.

An official from Rasini Fishermen Co-operative, Mwalimu Ali, confirmed that poor storage facilities were forcing fishermen to sell their catch at throw away prices to middlemen who would then making a killing.

"Our fishermen are forced to sell their catch for as little as Sh100 per kilo to middlemen who then sell the same for Sh400 a kilo. It has been this way because refusing to sell would mean being left with rotting produce," he said.

Mr Ali said fishermen could make good profits out of their catch if they had good, readily accessible storage facilities near them where they can preserve their fish as they source for better prices.

The fishermen also said poor road networks are hurting their trade since tonnes of fish go to waste when vehicles, transporting them to Mombasa and other urban centres, get stuck in the mud during rainy seasons.

Bad roads

The fisheries director acknowledged the deplorable state of some roads and said the Government has an obligation to construct good roads to boost trade.

"Roads from Mukowe leading to areas like Kiunga and Faza, which are located over 70 kilometers away from Lamu Island, are in a bad state and this needs to be addressed urgently," he said.