A survey of the soil in Kenya for agricultural purposes had been conducted from 1973 to 1978. The results available indicate that along the coast, the soils are mainly sandy or from coral origin but there are 3 areas where it is clay and loam. These areas where ponds could be built are located around Shimoni, close to the Tanzanian border, from Ngomeni to the Tana river, and around Lamu. The Lamu area can be disgarded for commercial reasons as there is no infrastructure; the Shimoni area is covered with mangrove, comprising an ecosystem known to be a nursery for many species, which should be protected as such. A fishery report on “Aquatic Resources of Kenya” indicates a positive correlation between mangrove coast and prawn fishery yields.
So the area between Ngomeni and the Tana river is the only interesting zone where marine aquaculture can be developed in Kenya. The northern limit of this area will have to be carefully delimited as the river regularly floods a big part of it; many aquaculture experiences disappear under unusually high floods that happen once every ten years or so when winds, tide and rain add up. It must be noted that the high level of silt coming from the river will probably have an adverse effect on the development of lablab and on the growth of the shrimps in such an area.
A competition for sites exists with salt operators; this is due to the unusually high price of salt in Kenya and in neighbouring countries. Most of the available areas, have already been conceded to private investors who intend to develop salt operations, and what is left has been claimed by others interested in shrimp farming. Concessions are given by lots of a few thousand hectares - from 500 to 3 000 ha - and the applicant can select himself out of what is available the piece of land that suits him best. That means that he can obtain a piece of land 1 500 m by 4 000 m or a different one of 2 000 m by 3 000 m for a same 600 ha concession autorization. The situation is not new as the project aquafarm is already built on land that had been conceded to a private who agreed to give it back.
Investors have been taught that the destruction of mangrove is the best way to start shrimp farming, whilst from an engineering point of view and from an economic point of view, the dry land lying behind the mangrove is much more suitable. From a biological point of view too, the best ponds in Ngomeni aquafarm are the one built on the dry land and the ones built on mangrove (1,6,7, NP) do not give good results.
From unofficial information received by the consultant, it seems that in 1985, the sites interesting for aquaculture will be in the hands of some 10 to 15 private investors and that virtually the whole future of marine aquaculture in Kenya lies in the hands of these few people.
