Getting smarter about securing fishing
Fishers had been calling on the authorities for years for a system where they could be registered and identified quickly and securely, without carrying identity papers that would crumble at sea.
In 2018, a Kenyan tech company called Cad Creations came up with a solution to curb illegal boats, allay security concerns, reduce overfishing and increase fishing communities’ profits.
After being endorsed by local governments and communities, the Nairobi-based company piloted the use of 200 smart cards with fishers in Kiwayu, a small island in the Lamu archipelago, and card readers to security forces.
The plastic photo cards called ‘Mvuvi’, meaning fisher in Swahili, bear printed details and barcodes so security officers can verify genuine and licensed fishers registered with their local beach management unit and weed out imposters or criminals posing as locals.
“The Mvuvi card is a smart idea,” said Francis Munyeki, Chief Information Officer at Cad Creations.