Scientist

Fridah Munyi

Assistant Director, Socioeconomics

Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institute

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Socio-Economic Researcher

KMFRI – Socio-Economics Department

Social Policy & Blue Carbon

Mangrove Valuation • REDD+ • Project Coordination • M&E

Email: fmunyi@kmfri.co.ke Email: fri.munyi@yahoo.com

Key Achievement

Coordinated the Swahili Seas project on "Socio-Economic valuation of mangrove resources" leading to accreditation of Mikoko Pamoja Project (MPP) – Kenya's first REDD+ project – in the voluntary market (Plan Vivo scheme, October 2011).

Academic Qualifications

PhD Candidate – Development Studies, University of Nairobi (ongoing)
MSc in Social Policy Analysis – Katholieke University (Leuven, Belgium) & CEPS/INSTEAD (Luxembourg)
BA (Economics & Sociology) – University of Nairobi
Post Graduate Certificate in Scientific Methods – Edinburgh Napier University, UK

Specializations

Social Policy Analysis • Monitoring & Evaluation • Project Design & Coordination • Data Analysis (SPSS, MINITAB, STATA, SAS) • Legal & Policy Framework Analysis • Proposal Writing • Internal Quality Auditor • Intern Supervision • Board of Trustee – KMFRI Staff Pension Scheme

Leadership Focus: Advancing socioeconomic valuation of coastal ecosystems, pioneering blue carbon finance mechanisms, and strengthening policy frameworks for sustainable mangrove and fisheries management.

Ms. Fridah Munyi is a Socio-Economic Researcher at KMFRI with extensive experience in social policy analysis, monitoring and evaluation, project coordination, and data analysis. She has been instrumental in coordinating the Swahili Seas project on "Socio-Economic valuation of mangrove resources", which generated necessary knowledge on the value and use of mangrove goods and services in selected coastal communities.

The resultant product of this groundbreaking work was accreditation in the voluntary market in October 2011 for the Mikoko Pamoja Project (MPP) under the Plan Vivo scheme (http://www.planvivo.org/projects). MPP is a small-scale carbon feasibility project on the South Coast of Kenya and the first REDD+ project in Kenya – a landmark achievement in climate finance and community-based conservation.

Ms. Munyi's work bridges socioeconomic research with practical climate action, demonstrating how economic valuation of ecosystem services can translate into tangible carbon finance mechanisms that benefit local communities while conserving critical mangrove habitats.

Research Interests

Socioeconomics Policy Analysis Monitoring & Evaluation Quality Auditor Data Analysis Gender Analysis Project Management

Key Research Contributions & Publications

Mikoko Pamoja – Kenya's First REDD+ Project – Coordinated socioeconomic valuation that led to Plan Vivo accreditation, creating a community-led carbon credit project that funds mangrove conservation and community development in Gazi Bay.
Climate Compatible Development – Co-authored research on applying climate compatible development and economic valuation to coastal management in Kenya's mangrove forests (Journal of Environmental Management 2015).
Mud Crab Aquaculture – Examined social and economic implications of small-scale mud crab (Scylla serrata) aquaculture for organised community groups (Aquaculture International 2014).
Hydropower Impacts on Livelihoods – Contributed to research on the impacts of hydropower development on rural livelihood sustenance (International Journal of Water Resources Development 2016).
Sea Cucumber Fisheries – Co-authored research on socio-economic features of the sea cucumber fishery in the southern coast of Kenya (Ocean & Coastal Management 2010).
Destructive Fishing Activities – Led MARG I-funded research on the social and economic dimensions of destructive fishing activities in the south coast of Kenya (2009).
Mangrove Governance & Tenure – Principal investigator for CIFOR/CGIAR-funded project on "Governance and Tenure of Mangrove Forests in Kwale County, Kenya" (2017–2018).
Beach Seine Fishery Assessment – Led socioeconomic assessment of beach seine fisheries in Lamu County (KCDP Technical Report, 2016).

Grants, Fellowships & Awards

Competitive Research Grants (2007) – Won Marine Research Grant I (MARG I) from WIOMSA to implement research on "The social and economic dimensions of destructive fishing activities in the south coast of Kenya" (5th July 2007).

Fellowship Award (2011) – Scholarship from CEPS/INSTEAD, the Luxembourg Social Science Research Centre to undertake an International MSc in Social Policy Analysis (IMPALLA).

Fellowship Award (2013) – Netherlands Government (NFP/TP-fellowship) for course on Climate change governance: adaptation and mitigation as institutional change processes.

Competitive Research Grants (2016–2018) – As consortium member, won MASMA programme Award from WIOMSA to implement project on "Responses of Biological Productivity and Fisheries to Changes in Atmospheric and Oceanographic Conditions in the Upwelling Region Associated With the East African Coastal Current".

Competitive Research Grants (2017–2018) – Award from Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR)/CGIAR to implement project on "Governance and Tenure of Mangrove Forests in Kwale District, Kenya".

Competitive Regional Training (April 2019) – Sponsorship on "Quantification and Valuation of Marine and Coastal Ecosystem Services" by WIOMSA.

Ms. Fridah Munyi's pioneering work at KMFRI – from coordinating the socioeconomic valuation that led to Kenya's first REDD+ project (Mikoko Pamoja) to securing multiple competitive research grants and producing influential policy-relevant publications – brings unparalleled expertise in social policy analysis, ecosystem service valuation, and carbon finance – strengthening the Institute's capacity to design and implement projects that translate marine and coastal research into tangible community benefits, climate action, and sustainable blue economy outcomes.