Ms. Faith Kimanga

Email: fkimanga@kmfri.go.ke

With over ten years of dedicated experience as a Socioeconomics and Sustainable Development Researcher, Faith Kimanga specializes in strengthening the resilience of Kenya's coastal communities by bridging academic rigor with on-the-ground action for marine and aquatic resource sustainability. Her core expertise lies in community-centered participatory design, where she co-develops sustainable alternative livelihoods, and in gender-inclusive development, through detailed analysis of blue economy value chains to promote equitable opportunities.

She manages the full project lifecycle from securing competitive grants and crafting fundable proposals to executing multidisciplinary field research, analyzing socioeconomic data, and disseminating findings through scientific publications and high-impact reports. Her commitment extends beyond research to translating complex data into actionable frameworks and policy recommendations that advance food security and poverty alleviation.

Proficient in Monitoring & Evaluation (M&E), stakeholder engagement, community needs assessments, and facilitating co-design processes, Blue economy trainings and mentorship, she ensures interventions are both inclusive and contextually relevant. By applying logical and multi-stakeholder frameworks alongside deep knowledge of sustainable livelihoods, she drives collaborative strategies that promote responsible resource use, guaranteeing that every initiative delivers tangible, evidence-based benefits that improve the socio-economic wellbeing of the communities she serves.

• ▹ Contributes to the implementation of the research agenda of the KMFRI Strategic Plan by contributing to research knowledge, data, and projections needed for strategic planning to make KMFRI undertake research as per its mandate and Strategic Plan.
• ▹ Develop inception fundable research proposals that answer specific research questions from the national government up to the local community level. Also conduct research in line with the institutional strategic plan and emerging issues (e.g., blue economy, plastic pollution, climate change, oil, and gas).
• ▹ Identify research gaps, then develop an appropriate research strategy and frameworks to address the problem and eventually generate a solution. The strategy highlights the problems, research objectives, methodology, and expected outputs and outcomes.
• ▹ Produce reports and co-author publications to disseminate research findings and innovations to the scientific community and end users according to internationally accepted guidelines (e.g., journal guidelines), subsequently offering tools to decision-makers and users on sustainable utilization of marine resources and development of strategic enterprises towards food security, employment creation, and restoration of the aquatic environment.
• ▹ Coordinating and conducting multidisciplinary research to answer complex and multifaceted research questions while taking advantage of the wide range of expertise and experience both within the institute, nationally, regionally, and internationally.
• ▹ Promoting co-designed solutions and participatory governance structures through community consultation processes, and building trust-based relationships with the exact target groups (women-led groups, CBOs, seaweed cooperatives, fishers, and coastal co-management regimes, including the BMU, CFA).

• ▹ Blue Economy and Sustainable Livelihoods
• ▹ Gender-Inclusive Value Chain Analysis
• ▹ Community-Centered Participatory Research and Co-Design
• ▹ Marine and Coastal Aquaculture Systems
• ▹ Socioeconomic Impact Assessment and Monitoring & Evaluation
• ▹ Marine Integrated Coastal Management
• ▹ Climate Change Adaptation and Coastal Resilience
• ▹ Science Communication, Policy Translation, and Capacity Building

• ▹ Master of Science in Development Studies – Technical University of Mombasa, 2021-2025
• ▹ Postgraduate Advanced Course on Sustainable Development of the Coastal Communities – Bari, CIHEAM, Italy, 2019
• ▹ BSc in Development Studies – Mount Kenya University, 2011
• ▹ Diploma in Community Development and Counseling – Mombasa Polytechnic University College, 2007-2009

• ▹ Member – Western Indian Ocean Marine Science Association (WIOMSA)
• ▹ Member – Women in Marine Science (WIMS)
• ▹ Member – World Aquaculture Society (WAS)

• ▹ Contributor to the implementation of the Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institute (KMFRI) Strategic Plan, tasked with identifying national research gaps, developing strategic frameworks, and generating evidence-based solutions for sustainable marine resource utilization and food security.
• ▹ TOT and Capacity Building: An Investment Readiness role at ACTS for Blue Empowerment SACCO was focused on preparing coastal community-based enterprises involved in seaweed, fisheries, and fisheries-related business, particularly those led by women, to attract and effectively manage funding.
• ▹ External Consultancy contribution: Served as a Research Assistant/Consultant for the EU-funded Go Blue project (Camões, I.P. and TUM), conducting high-level value chain analysis on Tourism & Cultural Heritage for Kenya's Jumuiya counties, directly advising project implementation under the European Union's blue economy agenda.