Mangrove restoration boost income, health in Kwale's Majoreni village

A team of barefooted boys burst into celebration after scoring a goal against the opponent in a match played on the windy shores of the Indian Ocean in Kwale County.

The rays of the setting sun cast long shadows of the boys playing football on the white sand. At a distance women and men are busy planting or tending to the mangrove trees.

The lush Majoreni village could perhaps be the greenest beach along the Coast. It was never that way –men and women put in the hard work, and they can now glow with happiness.

“The mangroves have provided quality air that I breathe at home.  I have also been able to get funds from selling mangrove seedlings that has helped me pay fees for my three children and money for food and other needs at home," said Ms Mwambikao Haga.

Haga is one of the 623 women planting and nurturing the mangroves in the Majoreni in Lunga Lunga subcounty.

She said the trees have helped her family's health because of the clean air from the forest cover.

"My family does not get coughs like before. The coughs and chest pain were due to poor environment," said Haga with conviction.

The journey to restore the degraded mangrove forest in Majoreni, Kwale County, began with a fund from Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) in 2023.

She said the grant enabled them to buy 10,000 mangrove seedlings. Over 623 women joined the programme conviction. programme that has changed the landscape of the remote village.

Some said they joined the programme to earn a little income to support their husbands who are fishmongers. 

For others, a little For others it was a hobby as they waited for their husbands to return with the catch in the evening. 

However, they all have no regrets, as the mangrove forest has turned out to be the proverbial stone that has killed two birds- a clean environment and a source of income.

Interestingly, about 200 men have also joined the programme.  Mr Hamisi Mshemanga said they formed the Majoreni Bean Management Unit (BMU) to plant more mangrove trees.

Mr Mshemanga, the chairman of the Majoreni BMU, said that so far they have planted at least 10,000 trees also provided by KPA management. 

The port agency's hand has not gone unnoticed. Last week, KPA won the prestigious global award for the "Mangrove Restoration for Ocean Protection and Increased Forest Cover Project."

The agency emerged the winner at the 2025 International Association of Ports and Harbours (IAPH) Sustainability Awards. It is not a mean feat, as the Japan-based IAPH has 200 members. 

Villagers of Majoreni, jokingly, claim part of the ward. And during the Mazingira Day, they gathered along the shores for a two-year partnership with KPA.

"We are celebrating clean air, increased fish harvest and secured roofs from strong winds," said Haga, adding that every Thursday women gather to work on seedlings.

"As we do that, the men always go to sea to get the bottles discarded in the sea. We have also been able to clean the ocean through these efforts,” said Haga.

Mshemanga said that all the communities, including the children, have been sensitised on preserving the mangrove, and no one harvests the mangroves for firewood or furniture.

He said that over one acre of depleted mangrove forest has been restored through collaboration with KPA.

Mshemanga said that the mangrove forest cover has stayed intact compared to their Lamu counterparts because they are not cutting them down.

He said that with over one acre successfully restored, the community is now committed to restoring the entire mangrove forest that stretches over 10 acres.

Mshemanga said that the community enjoys clean air and increased fish harvest courtesy of mangroves that provide breeding grounds for the fish.

"We have received funds from selling seedlings to KPA. "Also, it has helped us to harvest more fish, as the mangrove is a habitat for fish," said Mshemanga.

He said the mangroves have helped to break the strong winds from the sea and saved them the cost of replacing blown roofs. 

"As a community we have seen when there are strong winds, the mangroves help regulate the winds that act as a windbreaker," said Mshemanga.

Mshemanga said the community has been able to do restoration of mangroves in an area that was eroded and used as a football playground.

He said the community does not harvest mangrove like in Lamu, and the women are the ones who are the pioneers in nurturing the mangroves.

KPA Managing Director Captain William Ruto said the KPA beat two other finalists from a record-breaking pool of 500 global submissions.

He said the impact has resulted in expanded mangrove cover and a healthier coastal ecosystem, creating ideal conditions for fish breeding, leading to an increase of lobsters and prawns, ultimately contributing to the socio-economic well-being of the communities.

"Mangrove restoration for ocean protection impressed the judges after demonstrating how ports' collaboration with local communities and other government agencies can help empower communities and support the conservation of the environment and marine biodiversity for sustainable port operations,” said Ruto.

He said the initiative forms a key pillar of the Green Ports Policy, a strategic blueprint adopted by the Authority to advance and implement sustainable port management. 

KPA Corporate Communication acting manager Jones Buchere said that KPA has planted mangroves in Majoreni, Tudor Creek, Dongo Kundu and Mida Creek in Kilifi.

Buchere said KPA is collaborating with the community and KFS to restore depleted mangrove forests.

Buchere said so far KPA has planted over 521,000 trees since 2016 and still targets another 500,000 this year. He said other organisations are also undertaking to plant 300,000.