Kenya Ports Authority wins global sustainability award for mangrove restoration

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Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) has put Kenya back on the global environmental map after its Mangrove Restoration for Ocean Protection and Increased Forest Cover project won the 2025 International Association of Ports and Harbours (IAPH) Sustainability Award in Kobe, Japan.

The announcement came on Thursday in Kobe during the Gala Dinner at the ongoing IAPH World Ports Conference. 

KPA’s project triumphed in the Environmental Care category, selected from a record 500 submissions worldwide after a rigorous evaluation by an independent jury of maritime and environmental experts, combined with a public voting campaign supporting the entry.

This win recognises KPA’s innovative collaboration with coastal communities to restore degraded mangrove ecosystems.

 Judges highlighted how the initiative empowers communities and supports conservation of the environment and marine biodiversity while ensuring sustainable port operations.

Under the project, KPA has joined hands with local community members in the coastal region to rehabilitate degraded mangroves, resulting in expanded mangrove cover and a healthier coastal ecosystem. 

The rehabilitation has improved conditions for fish breeding and increased populations of prawns and lobsters, thereby boosting socio-economic wellbeing in the affected communities.

The initiative is a key pillar of KPA's Green Ports Policy, which provides the strategic framework for environmentally conscious port operations. 

The policy aligns Kenya’s maritime sector with international climate commitments and aims to integrate Environmental, Social, and Corporate Governance (ESG) principles, promote renewable energy use, adopt green technologies, and protect marine and coastal ecosystems.

“Our Mangrove Restoration for Ocean Protection project is far more than just growing mangroves — it is about survival and livelihoods,” said KPA Managing Director Capt. William Ruto in his acceptance speech.

 “We have witnessed the immense benefits which includes revived fish stocks and new economic opportunities for our communities, with men and women engaged in sustainable ventures like seaweed and fish farming.”

Winning the Environmental Care category under the IAPH Sustainability Awards places KPA among the world’s leading ports that balance port operations with ecological health. 

The Awards programme draws attention to best practices in climate and energy, environmental care, community building, infrastructure, digitalisation, and health, safety and security.

KPA has received global acclaim before: in 2019, its Tunahusika Corporate Social Investment (CSI) project won the IAPH Sustainability Award in the Community Building category.

Meanwhile, environmental groups along Kenya’s coast have long warned about the degradation of mangrove forests — vital for coastal protection, marine biodiversity, and carbon sequestration.

 Stakeholders such as local NGOs and research institutions continue to advocate for stronger policies, stricter enforcement against illegal mangrove clearing, and stronger funding for restoration programmes.

As celebrations from Kobe reach Kenya, KPA’s win sends a clear signal: that ports can be engines of sustainable development as much as economic hubs.

 For coastal communities who planted mangroves, cared for seedlings, and guarded restoration areas, it is also a recognition that environmental effort, when combined with community action, can lead to change.