Kenya urged to invest in its manpower to secure maritime future

On June 25, 2026, the global maritime community observed the Day of the Seafarer under the theme "Carrying World Trade. Carrying the Risks".

The theme was a fitting tribute to the millions of seafarers who brave treacherous seas and endure months of isolation, piracy, conflict, and perilous weather to ensure that the lifeblood of global commerce flows.

Maritime analysts say that more than 80 per cent of global trade is carried by sea, and the food on our tables, the fuel in our vehicles, and the medicines in our hospitals all arrive by ship.

However, former Seafarers Union of Kenya (SUK) Secretary General Andrew Mwangura argues that Kenya's seafarers are among the most invisible, undervalued, and exploited workers in the national economy.

''The global shipping industry faces a critical shortage of qualified officers—an estimated 89,000 by 2026—yet thousands of trained Kenyan seafarers remain unemployed or trapped in exploitative arrangements. This paradox is not an accident of fate; it is a failure of policy, governance, and political will,'' the former SUK official said.

He explained that the recent grievances laid bare by the Seafarers Union of Kenya paint a damning picture.

''Kenyan seafarers have endured months without pay aboard vessels operating in our own waters. Nine crew members of the MV Sea Mfalme remain detained in Tanzania, their fate uncertain while government agencies equivocate.

On the FV Kivu Spear II, crew members have gone five months without salary due to an ownership dispute that should never have been allowed to fester under a Kenyan flag,'' he said.

Another veteran seafarer, Steve Owaki, said these are not isolated incidences.

''They are symptoms of a regulatory system that has failed its most essential constituents. The picture. The Kenya Manpower Authority (KMA), vested with the mandate to enforce labour standards and international conventions, has been accused of turning a blind eye to "rogue employers" violating the very laws Kenya has ratified. This is a national embarrassment, especially as Kenya positions itself as a champion of the Blue Economy,'' Owaki said.

Mwangura said the crisis extends beyond wage theft and abandonment to the very gates of our international airport. In a bewildering display of bureaucratic overreach, the National Employment Authority (NEA) equivocates on demanding certificates from seafarers before they can board flights to overseas jobs.

''This directive, which has already seen seafarers denied boarding passes, directly contradicts the Maritime Labour Convention (MLC), 2006, which Kenya ratified in 2014. The MLC explicitly prohibits seafarers from bearing recruitment costs and mandates that recruitment systems remain transparent and accountable,'' he added.

"As I have previously warned, this is bureaucratic overreach with devastating consequences. Seafarers are not domestic migrant workers; they are international maritime professionals governed by a distinct body of international law. By lumping them together with other labour categories, the NEA has rolled back hard-won gains achieved since 2018, when the first cohorts of Kenyan seafarers were recruited by major shipping lines like MSC Cruises,'' he said.

'This directive, Seafarer, has already shown fraudulent recruitment practices that evoke contradictions of the devastating cruise ship job scam of 2001, where thousands of Kenyans lost money to fake overseas jobs.

Mwangura states that recent revelations indicate that out of 13 manning and crewing agents licensed by KMA, only six have verifiable agreements with shipping lines.

This means that the majority of licensed agents are operating without the core requirement that ensures seafarers are placed into genuine employment.

"Kenya risks being seen as a supplier of underregulated labour rather than a professional maritime workforce. This perception damages our standing in the global maritime community and denies our youth the opportunities they deserve. We cannot allow history to repeat itself under the cover of official licensing and conflicting regulations,'' he maintained.

Mwangura reiterates that Kenya's maritime human capital represents a golden opportunity.

The global demand for qualified officers and ratings is surging, and our strategic location, coupled with a young, trainable workforce, positions us to become a maritime hub. However, this potential remains untapped.

In Mombasa, the veteran Seafarers Association of Kenya has put forward a comprehensive position paper outlining the structural imperatives required to salvage our maritime sector. These demands are not negotiable; they are the minimum standards of decency and efficiency.

There are suggestions to enact the Bandari Maritime Academy Act and establish a Merchant Navy Training Board to provide statutory footing and governance for our training institutions.

Analysts and stakeholders in the maritime industry say that the lack of mandatory hands-on training infrastructure has denied most Kenyans jobs in international shipping lines.

The decommissioned Kenya Navy ships, KNS Galana and KNS Tana, which served the nation with distinction for three decades, can be refurbished and repurposed as national training ships . With an estimated refurbishment cost of Sh500–800 million—a fraction of the Sh49 billion required for a new vessel—this is a strategic and sustainable solution .

Second, the government must end the confusion surrounding seafarer documentation and recruitment. The Seafarer Identity Document (SID) must be issued without further delay, and regulatory mandates must be clarified to ensure seafarer recruitment remains under maritime authorities. A transparent, public database of verified manning agents must be established immediately.

Third, we must fully implement the Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping (STCW) Convention and the Maritime Labour Convention across all training institutions and workplaces. This includes establishing structured training pathways, mandatory English language proficiency courses, and professionalising all ranks, from efficient deckhands to electro-technical officers.

''The welfare of seafarers ought to be treated as a national priority. The establishment of a Seafarers Magna Carta and adequate budgetary allocation for the Seafarers Wages Council is critical to ensuring minimum wage standards are set and enforced,'' Mwangura concluded.