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Plastic waste threat in our oceans

Plastic

A floating recycled plastic house and boat in Lamu Island in an effort to save the ocean from pollution in this photo taken on May 2, 2026.

Photo credit: Kalume Kazungu | Nation Media Group

By  Kimani Mwangi

What you need to know:

  • Plastic pollution now accounts for an estimated 80 per cent of marine litter globally, much of it originating far from the ocean itself
  • Microplastics are increasingly being identified as one of the most persistent and concerning forms of ocean pollution. These tiny fragments, formed when larger plastic waste degrades over time, are easily ingested by marine organisms such as fish and shellfish, allowing them to move through the food chain.

Plastic waste along Kenya’s coastline is now being traced into deeper systems, including marine ecosystems, food chains and emerging public health concerns linked to microplastics and toxic chemicals, shifting it from what was previously treated mainly as a surface-level environmental issue.


At landing beaches in coastal counties including Mombasa, Kwale and Kilifi, as well as smaller coastal settlements, there is a gradual change in what the ocean yields. Nets increasingly bring in more debris alongside catches, and in some cases marine life is visibly entangled in fragments of plastic.

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