Coast Development Authority

The Coast Development Authority is a State Corporation established by an Act of Parliament No. 20 of 1990 (Cap 449), revised in 1992 with the mandate to provide integrated development planning, coordination and implementation of projects and programmes within the whole of Coast Region, including the southern part of Garissa County (Ijara and Fafi) and the Kenya’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and for connected purposes. CDA area of jurisdiction covers 103,326 km2 and the EEZ (200 Nautical Miles of the Indian Ocean). The population in the region has grown from 2.7 million (1999 census) to 3.4 million (2009 census) and is estimated to be 3.5 in 2019 (using the inter-censal growth of 3.8 %). The majority of the population (70.8%) live in the rural areas and engage in subsistence farming in high and medium agricultural potential areas. Of the total land area, only 34,314 km2 (31%) is suitable for crop production and the remaining 69% is Arid and Semi-Arid Land (ASAL) supporting mainly livestock production and wildlife.