Why Kenya’s Maritime Sector Is Adrift While Others Set Sail

By Andrew Mwangura

Email, thecoastnewspaper@gmail.com

As countries across Africa invest strategically in their maritime sectors, Kenya is in danger of missing the boat.

South Africa, for example, is making serious headway in reviving its national merchant fleet, reclaiming shipping sovereignty, and building careers at sea for its citizens.

Meanwhile, Kenya—with its 600 km coastline, a modernized Port of Mombasa, and the underutilized Lamu Port—remains adrift, lacking both coordination and commitment.

Kenya’s failure to establish a national merchant shipping strategy is costing the country in economic returns, job creation, and global standing. While foreign ships dominate our ports and waters, trained Kenyan cadets remain unemployed, unable to complete the mandatory sea-time required to qualify as professional seafarers. 

The Kenya National Shipping Line (KNSL), once heralded as a national asset, is now little more than a name.

The contrast with South Africa is striking. That country has implemented deliberate policies to promote local shipping, enforce cabotage, and create jobs through home-grown fleets.

It is crafting public-private partnerships, investing in ship acquisition, and actively protecting the rights and interests of its seafarers.

In Kenya, however, these fundamental building blocks remain either incomplete or entirely missing.

Much of the stagnation can be traced to fragmented maritime governance. Despite efforts by BMA to train new cadets, most graduates are unable to proceed without access to sea-time—meaning they remain certified in theory but not in practice.

At the same time, unregulated manning and crewing agents continue to operate in the shadows, often exploiting desperate jobseekers without oversight from the Kenya Maritime Authority (KMA).

Critically, Kenya has not established a Merchant Navy Training Board to coordinate and harmonize training with industry needs. Such a board would be instrumental in overseeing cadet placements, ensuring international compliance, and linking Kenyan training institutions with global shipping lines. Its absence is a glaring policy gap.

To reverse this decline, Kenya must urgently appoint a maritime envoy to champion its global maritime interests.

In addition, Kenya needs to launch a nationwide #SeatimeForKenya campaign, driven by government and supported by shipping stakeholders.

The campaign should coordinate public-private partnerships and secure bilateral training agreements to ensure cadets can access onboard experience. The process for nominating cadets for sea-time must be transparent and merit-based, free from political interference and favouritism.

Meanwhile, the government must regulate all manning and crewing agents. These agents should be required to sign recognition and collective bargaining agreements (CBAs) with legitimate Kenyan seafarers’ organizations. 

This would protect our seafarers from exploitation and ensure fair wages, decent working conditions, and legal recourse.

Parliament must fast-track the enactment of the BMA Bill of 2023. Upgrading the academy into a fully autonomous and globally recognized training institution is not just a matter of national pride—it is a practical necessity. Equally urgent is the issuance of Seafarers’ Identity Documents (SIDs), which have been delayed for far too long.

Without these, Kenyan seafarers remain ineligible for most international job opportunities.

Kenya must also aggressively pursue Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) with key maritime states—such as Singapore, Norway, Denmark, the UK, the Netherlands, Liberia, Japan, Malta,and St. Kitts and Nevis—for mutual recognition of certificates.

These agreements are essential for placing our seafarers aboard ships flying foreign flags.

Reviving the KNSL will require a transparent and viable public-private partnership model. KNSL should be granted priority access to strategic cargo such as oil, fertilizer, and other government imports, enabling it to grow sustainably and provide sea-time for cadets.

Kenya must also implement a cabotage regime that reserves all domestic shipping traffic—including inter-port cargo—for Kenyan-flagged vessels. 

This would energise local ship ownership and create jobs across the maritime value chain. To support this, the government should introduce tax holidays, duty exemptions, and soft loans for ship acquisition, along with a dedicated maritime development fund or bank.

Finally, our ports must play an active role in this transformation. Mombasa and Lamu should offer preferential treatment to Kenyan-flagged ships, including discounted port dues, priority berthing, and bunkering services. This would signal a genuine commitment to nurturing local capacity and reclaiming maritime sovereignty.

Kenya has everything it needs to lead in maritime development—except the political will to act.

The time to watch from the shore is over. Kenya must now set sail, reclaim its rightful place in the global shipping industry, and ensure its youth are not left stranded ashore.

The author is a maritime analyst specializing in maritime governance and blue economy development.