By Joshua Cheloti

Fish imported from outside the country might soon retail at a higher price than the local one.

This follows a proposal by the Alego Usong Member of Parliament Sam Atandi for the introduction of a 20 per cent excise tax on all imported fish.

According to Atandi, the legislative proposal which is already before the National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetangula’s table seeks to save the country’s fish industry.

Sharing part of the legislative proposal on his official Twitter handle, the ODM legislator said fish imported from outside the country should not be cheaper than what local farmers produce.

“I have presented a legislative proposal to the speaker of national assembly @HonWetangula whose purpose is to save our fish industry. The bill proposes to introduce a 20 % excise tax on all imported fish. Chinese fish should not be cheaper than our own,” said the MP.

Atandi while seeking a 20 per cent excise tax on fish imports argues that they are cheaper than what is locally produced, a situation that has affected local industry, leading to a loss of jobs.

The MP notes that the industry employs at least 1.2 million people, jobs that are at risk should the government continue allowing fish imports into the country.

Official data from state agencies indicate that fish imports from China increased from 13,514 tonnes in 2020 to 14,847 tonnes in 2021.

On average, Kenyans consume fish worth Ksh2 billion from China.

But while imported fish is usually cheap, there has been a concern that the situation was hurting the local industry – a situation Atandi hopes to address with the introduction of the excise tax.

As of 2021, the production volume of fish in Kenya was measured at 163.6 thousand metric tons, an increase from the previous year, when the recorded output was roughly 151 thousand metric tons.

However, what is produced locally cannot sustain demand, hence a rise in imports, majorly from China.