Publication Type
Journal Article
Journal Name
Journal of the World Aquaculture Society
Publication Date
10-1-2026
Abstract
Kenya's aquaculture sector is at a pivotal stage, transitioning from a historical reliance on Nile tilapia and African catfish toward a more diversified production portfolio that integrates indigenous and emerging freshwater and marine species. This shift is increasingly recognized as essential to enhance climate resilience, food security, and ecosystem health. This systematic review synthesizes more than two decades (2000 to 31st January, 2026) of peer-reviewed literature to evaluate the biological suitability, culture performance, and socio-ecological roles of underutilized native taxa, including Ningu (Labeo victorianus), Jipe tilapia (Oreochromis jipe), freshwater prawns (Macrobrachium spp.), rabbitfish (Siganus sutor), marine-acclimatized Nile tilapia, mud crab (Scylla serrata), sea cucumber (Holothuria scabra), oysters (Crassostrea cucullata), and seaweeds (Eucheuma, Kappaphycus, and Ulva spp.). Literature indexed in Scopus, ScienceDirect, and Wiley Online Library was thematically synthesized across four domains: species biology and fishery status; culture systems and trials; constraints to domestication and commercialization; and potential roles within diversified culture systems. The findings indicate strong ecological adaptability and market potential among several indigenous species; however, their domestication and commercialization remain constrained by unreliable seed supply, underdeveloped hatchery and feed systems, limited access to capital and technical capacity, and weak processing, certification, market, and distribution networks. Culture trials demonstrate the viability of low-input and integrated multi-trophic aquaculture (IMTA) systems that link finfish, crustaceans, bivalves, and seaweeds to nutrient recycling and habitat restoration. Economically, low-input species such as seaweeds, oysters, milkfish, and rabbitfish offer opportunities to reduce dependence on formulated feeds and diversify household incomes, while mud crab, sea cucumber, and Macrobrachium prawns provide higher-value coastal and export-oriented opportunities but require greater investment before scale-up. Accordingly, the proposed phased roadmap prioritizes marine-acclimatized O. niloticus, the Lake Baringo strain of O. niloticus, seaweeds, oysters, milkfish, and rabbitfish for near-term farmer and enterprise development, mud crab, sea cucumber, and indigenous Macrobrachium prawns for medium-term high-value development, and O. jipe and L. victorianus primarily for conservation-oriented aquaculture. Coordinated investment in hatchery development, seed quality, selective breeding, market assessment, feed innovation, and value-chain integration is therefore needed to translate these opportunities into commercially viable, climate-resilient blue-food systems.
Keywords
aquaculture diversification, blue foods, conservation aquaculture, East Africa, indigenous species, Mariculture
Recommended Citation
Munguti, J., Muthoka, M., Kyule, D., Magondu, E., Obiero, K., Mboya, J., Meenakshisundaram, M., Chrysantus, T., Kwikiriza, G., & Njonge, F. (2026). Exploring the significance of Kenya's indigenous and emerging blue foods for sustainable aquaculture development. A review. Journal of the World Aquaculture Society, 57 (5) https://doi.org/10.1111/jwas.70149
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.