Kilifi BMU Network
Connecting and strengthening Beach Management Units across Kilifi County to ensure fishers' voices reach decision-makers at county and national level.
With us and partners: Kenya Fisheries Service
Beach Management Units (BMUs) are the legal bodies that represent fishing communities in Kenya's coastal governance system. Oceans Alive works to connect and strengthen the BMU network across Kilifi County - ensuring that fishers' voices carry real weight in decision-making at county and national level.
Through the Kilifi BMU Network, OAF facilitates regular inter-BMU coordination meetings, supports communities in documenting fishing pressure data, and provides training in fisheries management, legal rights, and governance processes.
The programme has contributed to a 400% increase in fish biomass within co-managed areas - evidence that when fishers govern their own waters, the ocean responds. The Kilifi BMU Network is now a model being examined by Kenya Fisheries Service for national rollout.
Partners
Kenya Fisheries Service
Programme
Kilifi BMU Network
Governance · Programme 06
Regular BMU coordination meetings keep community voices central to governance
The fishers of Kilifi - the people the BMU Network exists to represent and empower
“When fishers govern their own waters, the ocean responds.”
- Kilifi BMU Network
Connected Work
Related Programmes
Coral Reef Restoration
Kenya's most active community-led coral nursery. 25,000+ colonies hand-planted since 2019. Local fishers trained and employed as reef gardeners.
Community Co-Management (LMMA)
Kenya's first LMMA. 120 km² under a formal management plan signed in 2022, placing communities at the centre of marine governance. A landmark in Kenyan marine governance history.
Marine Governance & Policy
Translating community-collected data into national marine policy frameworks. OAF presented findings at IUCN 2025, placing the Kilifi model on the global conservation stage.
Support This Programme
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