Charting a Better Course for Kenya’s Seafarers
KMA Head quarters , situated along Bishop Makarios road, Mbaraki (Photo/ Courtesy)
By Andrew Mwangura
Email, theoastnewspaper@gmail.com
As Kenya’s maritime sector stands at a crossroad, Friday May 2, Seafarers Sensitisation Forum (SSF) at the Kenya Maritime Authority headquarters represents more than just another industry meeting.
It embodies our nation’s long-overdue reckoning with the challenges facing our seafarers and the urgent reforms needed in maritime education and training.
For too long, Kenya’s potential as a maritime nation has remained largely untapped. With over 600 kilometers of coastline along one of the world’s busiest shipping routes, we possess natural advantages that should have positioned us as a regional maritime powerhouse.
Yet our seafarers—the backbone of any maritime economy—continue to face systemic challenges that limit both individual careers and national development.
Education Gap
The hard truth is that our maritime education and training infrastructure has not kept pace with global standards.
While nations across Africa and Asia have invested heavily in specialized maritime academies and certification programs, Kenya’s offerings remain fragmented and often misaligned with international requirements.
Many Kenyan seafarers find themselves caught in a frustrating cycle: unable to secure positions on international vessels without proper certification, yet unable to obtain such certification without access to appropriate training programs.
This disconnect has relegated many of our talented mariners to lower-paying positions or forced them to seek training abroad at prohibitive costs.
The crisis is exacerbated by the acute shortage of qualified tutors in our maritime education and training institutions. We cannot build world-class mariners without world-class instructors.
The comprehensive implementation of the AMP-K recommendations on Maritime Education and Training would address many of these systemic issues, but implementation has been sluggish at best.
Another critical gap is the need to revive the National Syllabus Committee and establish a dedicated Merchant Navy Training Board.
These bodies would ensure that our maritime education system remains relevant, responsive, and aligned with international standards.
Without these governance structures, curriculum development becomes haphazard and disconnected from industry needs.
The SSF must address these fundamental gaps by advocating for a comprehensive national maritime education strategy. This means not just establishing more training facilities, but ensuring those facilities meet the International Maritime Organization’s Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping (STCW) requirements.
It also means creating clear pathways for career advancement, from entry-level positions to senior officers, supported by more MoUs on the recognition of certificates to expand employment opportunities for Kenyan seafarers internationally.
Cannot Wait
Beyond education, the welfare of Kenyan seafarers demands immediate attention.
Too many of our mariners work under contracts that offer minimal protections, face extended periods away from home without adequate communication resources, and lack access to healthcare and mental health support.
The COVID-19 pandemic brutally exposed the vulnerability of seafarers worldwide, with hundreds of thousands stranded aboard vessels far beyond their contract periods.
Kenyan seafarers were not spared this ordeal, and many found little institutional support during their time of need. Any serious discussion of seafarer welfare must reckon with these realities and propose concrete solutions.
The forum must champion not only the full implementation of the Maritime Labour Convention (MLC) of 2006, but also the comprehensive ratification of the 2025 MLC amendments, which strengthen protections for seafarers in several critical areas.
Kenya cannot afford to fall behind international standards if we wish our seafarers to remain competitive in the global maritime labor market.
The long-delayed issuance of Seafarers’ Identity Documents (SID) must be fast-tracked immediately.
Without these internationally recognized documents, Kenyan seafarers face unnecessary barriers to mobility, often missing employment opportunities due to visa complications and document verification issues.
This simple administrative task has remained unresolved for far too long, costing our seafarers jobs and our economy valuable foreign exchange.
Perhaps most importantly, we must establish a true Magna Carta for Kenyan Seafarers—a comprehensive legal framework that enshrines their rights, establishes clear grievance mechanisms, and holds employers accountable for fair treatment.
Such a charter would transform seafaring from a precarious occupation to a respected profession with clear protections and career paths.
Beyond these policy initiatives, we need practical welfare measures: shoreside recreation centers, accessible communication facilities, healthcare services tailored to seafarers’ unique needs, and financial advisory services to help mariners manage their earnings effectively.
Economic Imperatives
This is not merely a humanitarian concern, but an economic imperative. A well-trained, properly supported seafaring workforce is essential to developing Kenya’s blue economy—a sector with the potential to contribute billions to our GDP and create thousands of jobs.
Nations that have invested in their maritime human capital, from the Philippines to Singapore, have reaped substantial economic rewards.
The proposed tax holidays for ship owners registering vessels under the Kenyan flag represents a crucial step toward building our national fleet.
Currently, many Kenyan-owned vessels fly flags of convenience, depriving our economy of revenue and our seafarers of employment opportunities. Strategic tax incentives could reverse this trend, making Kenya not just a source of maritime labor but a genuine shipping nation.
Kenya’s Vision 2030 acknowledges the blue economy’s potential, but translating this recognition into tangible progress requires focused attention on the people who make maritime commerce possible.
Every dollar invested in seafarer education and welfare returns manifold in economic activity, tax revenue, and reduced social costs.
The fast-tracking of the Bandari Maritime Academy Bill 2023 would create the institutional framework necessary to realize these ambitions.
Way Forward
As participants gather at the Kenya Maritime Authority tomorrow, they must resist the temptation to engage in platitudes or defer difficult decisions.
Instead, the forum should produce a concrete action plan with clear timelines and accountability mechanisms.
This plan should include comprehensive ratification of the 2025 MLC amendments to ensure Kenyan seafarers benefit from the latest international protections; full implementation of the AMP-K recommendations on Maritime Education and Training (MET) in Kenya, and urgent addressing of the critical shortage of qualified tutors in MET institutions across Kenya.
Others are fast-tracking the enactment of the Bandari Maritime Academy (BMA) Bill 2023; expediting the issuance of Seafarers’ Identity Documents (SID) to facilitate international mobility; introducing tax holidays to incentivize local ship owners to register their vessels under the Kenyan flag; and signing more Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) on recognition of certificates to expand employment opportunities.
Finally, establishing a Magna Carta for Kenyan Seafarers that enshrines their rights and protections; creating a dedicated Merchant Navy Training Board to oversee and standardize maritime education; and reviving the National Syllabus Committee to ensure curriculum relevance and international compliance.
The Seafarers Assistance Program stands ready to support these initiatives, drawing on our years of direct engagement with Kenya’s maritime community. But we cannot do it alone.
This requires committed collaboration between government agencies, educational institutions, private sector stakeholders, and international partners.
Nation’s Destiny
Kenya’s identity as a maritime nation predates colonial borders. Our ancestors navigated the Indian Ocean’s trade routes for centuries, establishing commercial and cultural connections that shaped East Africa’s development.
Reclaiming this maritime heritage is not just about economic opportunity—it’s about reconnecting with a fundamental aspect of our national identity.
The seafarers who will benefit from tomorrow’s discussions are the standard-bearers of this heritage. They deserve education that prepares them for global opportunities and welfare systems that recognize their essential contributions.
In advocating for their interests, we advocate for Kenya’s future as a prosperous maritime nation.
As the forum convenes tomorrow, let us approach these discussions with the urgency and seriousness they deserve.
The time for incremental change has passed. Kenya’s seafarers—and our national maritime ambitions—require bold, decisive action now.
Andrew Mwangura is the founder and coordinator of Kenya-based Seafarers Assistance Program organisation advocating for welfare of maritime workers across borders.
