Maritime Ambition: Why Kenya Must Chart a Bold Course for Blue Economy Growth
Bandari Maritime Authority Marine students in a simulation laboratory (Photo/ Courtesy)
By Andrew Mwangura
Email, thecoastnewspaper@gmail.com
For too long, Kenya has viewed its coastline merely as the edge where land meets water, rather than the gateway to vast economic opportunity.
As global maritime trade expands and the blue economy gains prominence, Kenya stands at a crossroads – continue as a minor player watching opportunities sail by or boldly transform into East Africa’s maritime powerhouse.
The statistics speak volumes. Maritime activities contribute a mere 2.5% to Kenya’s GDP despite the country’s strategic location along one of the world’s busiest shipping routes.
Meanwhile, neighboring Tanzania has aggressively expanded its maritime infrastructure, threatening Kenya’s regional dominance.
This apathy toward our maritime potential represents one of our greatest policy failures of the past two decades.
Mombasa Port, while historically significant, operates below its potential due to outdated management systems, infrastructural limitations, and bureaucratic inefficiencies.
The promising Lamu Port-South Sudan-Ethiopia Transport Corridor project has progressed at a glacial pace, hampered by funding challenges and security concerns.
Meanwhile, Kenya’s maritime education institutions remain underdeveloped, forcing aspiring maritime professionals to seek training abroad.
What Kenya needs is not incremental change but a comprehensive maritime revolution.
First, we must establish world-class maritime education centers that produce globally competitive seafarers, marine engineers, and maritime business professionals.
The recently upgraded Bandari Maritime Academy should be just the beginning of this transformation.
Second, Kenya must modernize its port infrastructure and operational systems.
Beyond physical expansion, this means embracing digital technologies that streamline documentation, enhance cargo tracking, and reduce dwell times. The future belongs to smart ports, not merely large ones.
Third, offshore resource exploration must accelerate, but with stringent environmental safeguards.
Recent discoveries suggest significant oil and gas potential off our coast, but exploitation must occur sustainably without compromising marine ecosystems that support tourism and fisheries.
Fourth, Kenya must aggressively develop its blue economy beyond traditional shipping.
Aquaculture, marine biotechnology, and ocean renewable energy represent frontier sectors where early movers gain significant advantages.
Countries like Norway have demonstrated how strategic blue economy investments can transform national fortunes.
Fifth, Kenya needs a coordinated maritime policy framework that aligns various stakeholders – from government ministries to private investors, local communities to international partners. The current fragmented approach creates regulatory confusion and deters investment.
At the heart of Kenya’s maritime governance challenge lies the fundamentally flawed Kenya Ports Authority Act.
This legislation, which predates our 2010 Constitution, fails to recognize the devolved nature of government and inappropriately centralizes maritime functions that should be shared between national and county governments. The Act should be repealed entirely, not merely amended.
The Constitution clearly delineates maritime responsibilities, with many functions falling under county jurisdiction.
Ferry services, for instance, logically belong under county government control, not the national government as currently structured.
This misalignment creates inefficiencies, hampers local innovation, and contradicts constitutional provisions for devolved governance.
A new, constitutionally aligned ports authority framework would enable coastal counties to develop specialized maritime services tailored to local needs while maintaining national standards and coordination.
Such reform would unlock tremendous potential for county-level maritime initiatives while ensuring strategic national interests remain protected.
Critics will argue that such comprehensive maritime development requires resources Kenya doesn’t have. This misses the point. Maritime development isn’t a luxury we cannot afford; it’s an economic imperative we cannot ignore.
Strategic public-private partnerships can mobilize necessary capital while international development partners have repeatedly expressed interest in supporting blue economy initiatives.
As global shipping patterns evolve and Africa’s economic importance grows, Kenya has a narrow window to position itself as East Africa’s maritime hub.
The alternative – watching as opportunities drift to more proactive neighbors – would represent a historic failure of vision.
The ocean has always been Kenya’s bridge to the world. It’s time we built upon that bridge and created a maritime sector worthy of our strategic location and economic ambitions. The tide waits for no nation.
The writer is a Maritime Affairs Analyst.
