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A mission by experts from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) to Kenya resulted in initial preparatory work to assist the country in drafting its secondary fisheries legislation. In this way, Kenya will be able to better implement the FAO Agreement on Port State Measures (PSMA) and complementary instruments to combat illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, and support sustainable fisheries.

The mission was held from 26 March to 4 April.

Officers from the State Department for Blue Economy and Fisheries, from the Kenya Fisheries Services, as well as state counsels from the Ministry of Justice and representatives from the Council of Governors, assisted by experts from FAO, started drafting the secondary fisheries legislation after identifying gaps in implementing the principal legislation on fisheries, and agreeing on a detailed outline and the main provisions of the secondary legislation.

In addition, the in-country mission in Kenya included a three-day training session for members of the legal drafting team, on international fisheries law. Lectures addressed the responsibilities of flag, coastal, and port States, as well as market related measures; the relationship between international and national law and how to transpose international requirements into national legislation. The training was concluded with lectures on fisheries legislation and addressed Kenya’s specific challenges to combat IUU fishing.

This mission was the result of a capacity development project funded by the Federal Republic of Germany, the Port State Measures Support Project. This project supports capacity development initiatives in developing States to assist them to be in a better position to implement international instruments to combat IUU fishing, including the provisions of the PSMA.