Mombasa’s Seagrass Carbon Swim Data Shapes Blue Bond Issuance

Data from Mombasa’s Blue Carbon Swim (News #281) directly informed Kenya’s first Blue Carbon Bond, issued on November 29, 2025—a KSh 5 billion instrument funding mangrove and seagrass restoration. Swim-mapped carbon stocks provided verified baselines for 3,200 hectares. Citizen science gave investors confidence, said Treasury CS John Mbadi. Safaricom, KCB, and Stanbic are anchor investors. Returns are tied to ecological metrics: e.g., 5% yield if seagrass cover increases by 15% in 3 years. UNEP called it a blueprint for nature-based finance.