Joho faces hard questions as MPs probe Sh1.6b fish stock assessment

Members of Parliament were stunned yesterday after the Ministry of Mining, Blue Economy and Maritime affairs revealed that it had spent Sh1.6 billion to conduct stock assessment in the Indian Ocean in the 2023/2024 financial year.

Cabinet Secretary Hassan Joho and Principal Secretary Betsy Muthoni Njagi, appearing before the National Assembly’s Departmental Committee on Blue Economy, Water and Irrigation, faced the wrath of MPs who sought to know whether there was any value for money arising from the undertaking.

Trouble began after the duo, who had appeared before the House team to answer queries on the Ministry’s budget implementation for the 2023/2024 FY, revealed that a total of Sh3.6 billion had been allocated to the ministry for a three-year period to undertake a fish stock assessment exercise in the Indian Ocean.

The undertaking that commenced July 1st, 2023, they said, is set to be completed in the 2025/2026 financial year and is to be implemented in three phases. Each phase is expected to gobble up Sh1.2 billion.

According to documents tabled before the committee, the first phase of the project began on July 1, 2023 was completed on June 30, 2024 during which the Ministry expended Sh1.6 billion. This, the officials said, comprised of a Sh1.2 billion yearly allocations and a Sh400 million supplementary allocation.

“So you are telling this committee that you were allocated the billions just to count fish in the ocean?”  inquired Tiaty MP William Kamket.

The Marakwet East MP Bowen Kangogo-led committee further sought to know whether there was any value for money from the exercise.

“Out of that assessment, what was the end product? Do you have anything to give us? …We gave you about Sh1.2 billion to do some stock assessment in the first year. At this point you should be telling us and telling the country that we have this number of Tuna Fish, this number of Tilapia etc. We gave you the money so we can know what we have in our waters,” Kangogo.

A request for additional funding to the tune of Sh600 million in the 2024/2025 FY, and failure by the Ministry’s acting Chief Executive Officer to offer satisfactory answers however attracted the ire of MPs.

The CEO had failed to give exact figures with relation to findings from the assessment. He had requested to be given time to prepare a presentation.

“I am the MP for Mathira and if you ask me how many registered voters are in Mathira I do not need to research, I know because IEBC did its work…he is the person in charge of that assessment. He should give us figures on the report of the last assessment; he does not need to prepare,” stated Mathira MP Eric Wamumbi.

The Joho-led team, however, responded that a stock assessment has been done and that it would table a report on what has been done in the last financial year, in due time.

Kisumu West MP Roza Buyu was, however, not having it.

 “The question is, if the project is complete and the Sh1.6 billion has already been utilized, why then are we budgeting for another Sh600 million for this year. You are talking of some projects not being completed because of austerity measures in the country yet for this one you have Sh600 million allocated to it. What is the secret behind it?” she posed.

Senior Chief Finance Officer Martin Wamwea however, explained that the additional Sh600 million was to cover phase two of the first year.

“There is a phase two of the two remaining monsoon seasons. That is why the Sh600 million is required. We will be able to table a report showing the milestones achieved and the justification even for this milestone,” Wamwea submitted.

The committee chair however pressed on, seeking to know how the ministry could dedicate Sh3.6 billion to “count the fish” yet in terms of revenue, the country did not rake in even Sh50 million in terms of revenue.

What followed was a war of words between the members: a section accused the chair of being out of order by claiming that the fish assessment only involved the counting of fish while others claimed that he, Kangogo was in order.

But in his response Joho moved to clarify that Stock assessment is almost a global practice. He explained that every country that has interest in matters blue economy undertakes the assessment.

“It informs us on the licensing regime we will use. Number two we will not be able to go to investors and tell them to come to Kenya if we do not have an assessment report…It really goes beyond counting fish. It is being able to understand the entire eco-system so we can understand the zoning in the ocean. The three-year period allows us to continuously monitor them because they migrate and move and have areas of breeding,” submitted Joho.

He added, “It is important for us to speak from an informed decision so that when we engage in forums such as the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC) which makes decision on the quarter system, it must be informed on something. As a country we must also understand where we are so that when we defend a position it is based on scientific research.”

The Ministry is now expected to appear before the committee again from next week to table the assessment report and answer more queries.