Kenya govt assures fishermen to be compensated before August polls

The government assured fishermen that they will be compensated before the August 8 General Election for fishermen displaced by dredging activities during the construction of the Lamu port.

In May 2018, the Malindi High Court awarded 4,734 fishermen Sh 1.76 billion compensation after they were displaced by the construction of the Sh 310 billion Lamu port in Kililana area.

The fishermen had argued that they would no longer be able to carry on with their activities due to dredging activities.

The Kenya Ports Authority KPA head of corporate affairs Bernard Osero, speaking at a meeting held to deliberate on the claims, said the agency has set aside funds to pay the fishermen.

The court clearance and consent forms are the only things that the court needs to do before KPA can carry out the compensation, Mr Osero said on Wednesday.

The meeting brought together representatives of the affected fishermen, their lawyers, KPA lawyers and officials, and national government representatives.

Lamu County Commissioner Irungu Macharia said all the pending issues that had led to the delay in the release of the cash had been cleared.

The conflicting sides had reached a consent and individual fishermen will receive their compensation before the August elections, according to Macharia.

There were some issues with the Lapsset lawyers and lawyers from KPA regarding how the fishermen will be paid. The bit that directs fishermen to 65 percent direct compensation while 35 percent are geared towards fishing activity sustainability. Both sides have reached an agreement, said Mr Macharia.

The fishermen's representative Mohamed Somo expressed satisfaction after the resolution of the matter.

Somo said that 4,167 beneficiary fishermen's bank account details have been submitted to KPA and they are finalising the verification of 500 other accounts.