Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institute
KMFRI was established to conduct research on aquatic systems covering both marine and freshwater. The Institute has grown from staff strength of two Research Scientists at inception to the current 122 scientists. KMFRI’s approved staff establishment stands at 1,350 employees but the current staffing position is 839 for both research and support staff which creates a gap of 511 employees. The current staffing levels are way below the required staff to meet the expected increasing demand for research. During the period 2016-2020, it is proposed that KMFRI be strengthened and reorganized with a view to improving service delivery. KMFRI infrastructure capacity has also expanded from two research stations based in Mombasa and Kisumu with acquisition of seven additional stations.
KMFRI headquarters is based in Mombasa, with eight (8) other stations at Kisumu, Turkana, Baringo, Naivasha, Sagana, Kegati, Sangoro and Nairobi. The Institute has two Research Centres based in Mombasa and Kisumu. The Mombasa Centre coordinates Ocean and Coastal Systems Research in the coastal hinterlands, the territorial waters and the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) in the Indian Ocean. As a maritime state, Kenya has proclaimed the 200 nautical miles (nm) EEZ as provided for by UNCLOS and has an ocean area of about 142,000 km2 as per the 200 nm EEZ limit. Kenya has further applied for an extra 150 nm EEZ extension for exploitation of bottom ocean bed resources. This makes a total ocean area of 245,000 km2 which is 42% of her total land area making Kenya a significant maritime state.
The Kisumu Centre coordinates research on Lake Victoria and the other inland water bodies through three stations at Lake Baringo, Lake Turkana and Lake Naivasha, while Sagana Aquaculture Research and Development station coordinates Kegati and Sangoro stations. In addition, a number of field stations exist at Gazi, Lamu, Shimoni and Gogo. This chapter highlights KMFRI’s current organization structure, research programmes and support departments and its role on national development..
KMFRI is managed by a Board of Management appointed by the Cabinet Secretary, for Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries. The Board has a gazetted Chairman and the Institute Director is the Secretary. Administratively, the Director is the Chief Executive Officer, assisted by three Deputy Directors, one in charge of Ocean and Coastal Systems Directorate, the other responsible for Freshwater Systems Directorate and the third in-charge of Finance and Administration Directorate. Aquaculture Directorate is currently headed by a Senior Assistant Director. Each Deputy Director is assisted by Assistant Directors in the respective departments. The Research Stations at Turkana, Naivasha, Baringo, Sagana, Kegati, and Sangoro are headed by Station Coordinators.
KMFRI has adopted a multidisciplinary approach in research which is internationally recognised and has been a major strength especially in attracting research funding from development partners. KMFRI’s Research activities are organized into three directorates namely; Ocean and Coastal Systems (OCS), Freshwater Systems (FWS), Aquaculture Research and Development (ARD), and a sub-directorate on Socioeconomics (SE). The OCS has two departments; marine and coastal fisheries, and oceanography and hydrography, the FWS has two departments; inland fisheries and limnology, ARD has two departments; freshwater aquaculture and mariculture, while SE is cross-cutting. Each research directorate also has technical support services which are organized in to three departments namely laboratory, maritime and information and communication technology. The finance and administration directorate is organized two departments; finance and human resource and administration. Furthermore, there are other support services such as supply chain management, corporate affairs, planning and audit.
Research vessels at KMFRI
The functions of the Maritime department includes providing and ensuring the safe pilotage, navigation and manning of the institute’s research vessels within Kenyan waters; to ensure the standards, rules, regulations, procedures and practices pertaining to maritime are adhered to and closely followed in execution of duties; prevention of marine pollution and preservation of marine environment from oil emptying and garbage disposal by KMFRI vessels into navigable water bodies; promoting and developing the design of fishing gears and the usage of environmentally friendly fishing methods; maintaining, repairing and servicing all the institute’s research vessels; and to establish, maintain and render an efficient and effective service in the institute.
Laboratory equipment
The function of KMFRI laboratory services include:- Provision of technical services in field and laboratory under various research programmes; collection, preservation, storage and analysis of samples; maintenance of laboratory records and processing of experimental data; basic maintenance of scientific equipment for training and supervision of students on attachment and internship; developing, validating and implementing standard operating procedures in specified laboratories; developing of appropriate specifications for laboratory chemicals and equipment; formulating laboratory quality control procedures; evaluating laboratory services; coordinating provision of services in a specialized laboratory; ensuring implementation of good laboratory practices; facilitating preventive maintenance of laboratory equipment; undertaking technical evaluation of quotations and tenders for laboratory supplies; and monitoring and evaluation of laboratory services.
Below are some of the laboratory equipment
Calibration Bench; Location: Mombasa Laboratory
The calibration bench is installed in Calibration laboratory and its capable of calibrating equipment that measure: Voltage, current, resistance, conductivity, Temperature, pressure and frequency. The equipment also include two JOFRA temperature Dry block calibrators which can be used as standalone or be connected to the bench. The Dry blocks has a series of inserts that allow different probes sizes to be calibrated. The bench has also been fitted with a hydraulic and pneumatic bench top pumps for pressure gauges calibration which has a scope of up to 0 - 700 bars.
High-Performance Liquid Chromatograph (HPLC), Location: Mombasa Laboratory
Applications: High-performance liquid chromatography can be used in both qualitative and quantitative applications that are for both compound quantification and identification. It used to separate, identify, and quantify each component in a mixture of compounds in analytical chemistry and biochemistry processes.
Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectrometer (ICP-OES), Location: Mombasa Laboratory
Applications: Inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry is a trace-level, elemental analysis technique that uses the emission spectra of a sample to identify, and quantify the elements present.
Typical applications include:
Trace analysis of environmental soil and water samples
Assessment of metal ores for mass balances and process control
Trace metal analysis of any material that can be digested into an aqueous matrix
Boron and Lithia in glasses
Forensic analysis
Trace analysis of food and drink samples such as; metals in wine; and elements bound to proteins
Autoanalyzer, Location: Mombasa
Applications: Nutrient Autoanalyzer is an automated flow-thru system for doing nutrient analysis (nitrate, ammonium, orthophosphate, and silicate) on water and sediment samples.
ManTech Multi-Parameter Water Quality Analysis System, Location: Mombasa
Applications: The equipment is used for COD, BOD, TOC, pH, Turbidity and Alkalinity in both laboratory and process analytics.
Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrophotometer
Applications: Fourier transform infrared spectrophotometers are used in numerous fields and applications; in Automobiles, Food Products, Metals, Medicine, Electricity, Electronics and Semiconductors, Chemicals and Polymers. Specifically, for Chemicals and Polymers the equipment can be used for:
Raw material identification tests
Qualitative analysis of plastics and rubber
Identification of functional groups of synthetic products
Analysis of surface preparation agents
Analysis and thickness measurement of thin films
Analysis of catalysts
Analysis of paints and coatings
Analysis of contaminant
Quantitative analysis
Kjeldahl equipment, Location: Mombasa Laboratory
Applications: The Kjeldahl method is used to determine the nitrogen content in organic and inorganic samples such as foods and drinks, meat, feeds, cereals and forages for the calculation of the protein content. The method is also used for the nitrogen determination in wastewaters, soils and other samples
Notice: Please contact international@erc-assoc.org if you represent this Research Institution and have identified any required additions or modifications to the above information.