Trouble at Bandari Maritime Academy escalates

It is now two weeks since students at Kenya’s premier maritime training institute - Bandari Maritime Academy (BMA)- were sent home indefinitely following unrest.

Maritime state agencies tried to stamp out students’ protests at the maritime training institution in Mombasa, promising to also push for the issuance of Seafarers Identity Document (SID).

However, the students will wait to be called back later after paralysing learning for a week.

The agencies led by the maritime industry regular, Kenya Maritime Authority (KMA) pledged to address several grievances that led to the strike.

For a week now, students at BMA have staged protests due to alleged mismanagement, high fees, prolonged delays in obtaining SID and lack of practical training opportunities.

The protests led to a confrontation between the students and police.

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The other agencies represented were BMA and Kenya National Shipping Line (KNSL). Also present was the Seafarers Union of Kenya (SUK) general secretary Atie Swaleh Ramadhan.

KMA acting director general Isaiah Nakoru vowed to address the students’ grievances.

Five students have already been arrested. 

BMA board chairman Kinandu Muragu blamed the unrest on lack of communication between the management and students.

“We are going to meet all students and improve communication between them and management,” he said.

Prof Muragu said they were investigating claims that students were being forced to pay an additional Sh10,000 for industrial attachment without board approval.

“If we confirm this, it will be refunded to them immediately,” he assured, adding that the board will have a meeting with all students at the academy to iron out the issues leading to the strike.

He said BMA has made efforts to ensure that students who graduated from the academy will be working at sea by June this year.

Sources at BMA indicated that the institution has been facing under-funding from the exchequer since last year when the government announced budget cuts and that hiring lecturers has been a challenge. 

Payment of part-time lecturers has been a major challenge at the institution that is expected to be expanded and positioned to become a major centre of excellence in training seafarers in the country.

Nakoru said KMA, the state department of shipping and maritime, Immigration Services, National Registration Bureau and e-Citizen are working closely to start the issuance of SIDs that facilitate seafarers travel across the globe.

He said the multi-agency team was finalizing the technical requirements on the system for the issuance of SIDs, adding the government will roll out the documents soon.

“We are going to start the issuance of SIDs soon. This essential travel document for seafarers will ease access to global job markets to countries such as Brazil and Poland,” he stated.

He denied claims by the students that Kenya may not be a whitelisted state by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) noting the country has full endorsement and the certificates issued by KMA to its seafarers are internationally accepted by IMO member states.

He said KMA has signed recognition agreements with Panama, Liberia, Palau and Jamaica which have a combined ship register of 14,000 ships where Kenyan seafarers can engage for employment.

“KMA currently also regulates seafarer recruitment and placement agencies to improve the welfare of our seafarers and promote their access to employment opportunities,” he noted.

KNSL managing director Abdalla Hatimy said the line will engage all maritime training schools as the government crew manning agent to boost sea time training particularly for cadets.

He said KNSL was in discussion with officials from Mombasa port, Port Victoria in the Seychelles, Indian and Oman in bid to boost seafaring the country.

He said the line was pushing for cabotage or local shipping arrangement which can offer training opportunities and employment to Kenyan seafarers.

Present were BMA chief executive officer Dr Eric Katana and board member Mr Duncan Ndegwa Masai.

Until 2018, BMA was owned and run by Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) as Bandari College. It was made a semi-autonomous state agency with the aim of training seafarers for the local and international labour market with the KNSL as the government crew manning agent.

The government has since entered into agreement with several shipping lines and South Korean in a bid to boost training and job opportunities for Kenyan seafarers.

Earlier, Mining, Blue Economy and Maritime Affairs Cabinet Secretary Hassan Joho assured the BMA students that their grievances will be fully addressed to ensure maritime education remains accessible and attractive to many.

“I know the SID is a big issue. We are going to address the matter expeditiously and conclude it so our seafarers can be handed the document which is required globally,” he said.