About 30% of the area is connected with electricity, however the power is not regular. It is supplied from Tanzania and there are many power cuts. The Kenya power lines are in construction and there is 1 km left until this connection is complete.There are two major boreholes that supply water to the area, some use shallow wells, pans, and water from the River Umba and Mwena. 40% of people are estimated to have access to clean/safe water. Due to rising sea levels the boreholes are thought to get salt water influxes and making the water salinity levels increase.
There are a number of local institutions and organisations within the area. There is however, going to be a re-organization of the departments as most departments operate in wards and some operate in the administrative location divisions.
A number of local organizations also exist: CBOs-jimba environmental group, Vanga environmental group, Mbiweji women group NGOs- Kenya Red Cross, ACT-Kenya
There are diverse political divisions due to the diverse ethnic communities (more of a mix than other sites).There is support for many different political parties and the community is very mixed.Community leaders will include the village head or chief. Each community has their elders (e.g. Digo) but all work under the chief. There are also special committees which have representatives from various groups e.g.peace groups, disaster groups and community policing. There is also a new Nyuma Kumi Committee which is part of a new government initiative to enhance security.
Livelihoods
The main livelihoods activities for Vanga village includes fishing, farming, casual labour, small scale business,employment and artisan work. A recent report in Vanga (Mainer et al 2012) indicated that fishing activities (as a livelihood) account for 45% of the in Vanga village; this was contested by the local fisheries officer and some participants. The participants said fishing activities accounts for > 70% of livelihood in the village followed by small-scale activities and farming. It was suggested that fishing and fishing related activities be combined into one category of “fishing activities” to avoid mis-reporting. The specific activities within farming include; rice,maize and coconut farming in that order. Most immigrants to Vanga engage in agriculture of fishing.
Seasonality
Farming is predominantly carried out during the rainy seasons. Fishing is also seasonal but takes places all year round, the catch however varies in different months of the year. Fishermen may have to move to other parts with their boats e.g. Malindi, Lamu, Tanzania etc….
Fisheries
As highlighted above, fishing is one of the most important livelihoods in the area. Some of the most commonly used gears mentioned by Key Informants are highlighted in the table below.
A number of registered boats are also mentioned, with an estimated 100 canoes, 40 out riggers, 15 Dhows,and 10 Motor Boats in the area .