Philip Mwakio
16 March 2003
Nairobi — A Kenyan, Dr James Gitundu Kairo, has won an International Development Corporation prize for his work on mangrove forests.
A statement from the Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institute (KMFRI) said that Dr Kairo, a Principal Research Officer, has been working on the mangroves of Kenya for over 10 years.
The organisation of the prize is entrusted to the Africa Museums in Brussels, Belgium, and is funded by the Belgian Development Corporation.
The prize is valued at Euros 2,500 and is awarded to young scientists based on scientific work of high relevance to development.
Dr Kairo has specialised in ecology and restoration of mangrove system and holds a PhD in this field.
Dr Kairo has contributed to the promotion of mangrove reforestration as a tool for sustainable management of mangroves in Kenya.
He has served as a mangrove consultant in Egypt, Mozambique, Tanzania and India and recently represented the region at a meeting to draft the World Bank's code of conduct for mangroves of Africa held in Ghana.
The prize will be awarded by the Belgian State Secretary for Development Co-operation during a prize-giving ceremony at the Africa Museums in Brussels later in May.
Meanwhile, the Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institute said it urgently requires a good vessel for off-shore marine research in the Indian Ocean waters, reports Philip Mwakio.
The research vessel, complete with scientific gear, is estimated to cost between Sh100 million and Sh150 million.
Speaking at the KMFRI headquarters in Mombasa, Director Dr Johnson Kazungu said researchers from his organisation were limited to conducting research near the coastline.
The institute's mandate is to promote prudent use of aquatic resources for food security and economic growth.
KMFRI has three trawler vessels operating exclusively in Lake Victoria waters. The vessels are mv Utafiti, mv Pwani and mv Omena.
Kazungu said they are limited to only a smaller area of the 200 nautical miles of the Kenyan shoreline which they are supposed to monitor for their research work.
He said that research funding to the institute from the Government is insufficient.
He said 90 per cent of funding from the Government goes to salaries of staff while a paltry10 per cent remains for recurrent expenditure.
"We hope that the Narc Government will address our plight and give us adequate funding to enable us deliver," he said.
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