Women’s voices should be heard and actively included in decision-making processes

Please tell me about your work in the Coastal Women in Fisheries Entrepreneurship Association.

The initiative began as a pilot in 2016 and became a registered association in 2019. To sustain our work, we reinvest profits from our affiliated corporation into the association. Our efforts focus on empowering women in Kenya’s coastal region by addressing discrimination in the fisheries sector, whether rooted in religious or cultural barriers. We empower women of all ages by creating opportunities in the fisheries sector, particularly for students dropping out of school, single mothers, and widows.

We aim to help women break free from the cultural norms that confine them to domestic responsibilities. In Kenya, social expectations often dictate that once a woman marries, her main duty is caring for her family. We also have Islamic norms where Muslims are allowed to marry four wives. A few years ago, having more than 30 children in a family was not unusual. It was difficult for many families to provide good opportunities for their children. So, we have raised awareness among over 15,000 women about birth control.

Our network is big and serves many purposes. It includes environmental groups dedicated, for example, to mangrove and coral restoration, fishermen's groups, and traders’ groups. Some women’s groups fish octopuses because we try to eliminate the perception that women can’t get into the water. We also have a group of women who are seaweed farmers. They produce seaweed products like lotion, shower gel, soap, and cream. We work with civil society organizations, government institutions, and researchers to ensure we are on the right track in our activities

What is your vision for a sustainable aquatic food system in Kenya?

Our vision is to ensure women’s voices are heard within government institutions and actively included in decision-making processes.  We also ensure the government’s support for working facilities such as freezers. And we need to be leaders. We have ensured that we have a seat in government steering committees that make decisions about fishing or the blue economy activities in Kenya.  I'm one of the persons sitting in dialogue meetings with policymakers so that we can review, criticize, and adjust the policies supporting our community.

What are the challenges to get to this vision?

Our challenge is that men will not accept us as leaders; they feel we are overpowering them. But we believe that if you empower women, you have empowered the whole family. So, to end gender discrimination and strengthen the fisheries sector in Kenya and globally, we need to empower women and continue working together, expanding our networks.

The interview was made during the Global Science-Policy Lab on Aquatic Food Systems in Brussels 3-4 March 2025 (SASi-SPi project funded by the European Union).