How Kenya's seafaring dreams are sunk by training shortfalls

Lack of training equipment and chronic shortage of qualified trainers is the weakest link in the country’s quest to export skilled labour to international waters, the most lucrative jobs in the maritime industry, experts say.

Qualifications offered by Kenya’s premier maritime training centre, Bandari Maritime Academy (BMA) and other local institutions, they say, are not internationally recognised, denying graduates opportunities to work abroad.

Stakeholders in the industry say, for instance, most Kenyan graduates are unable to obtain the mandatory Certificate of Competency (CoC) qualification due to a lack of a minimum of one year sea-time experience.

It is after this course that cadets undergo assessment by accredited bodies before they are given CoC. It is not clear why Kenya has not acquired a vessel to train the cadets for the crucial certification.

Former President Uhuru Kenyatta in 2018 underscored the importance of BMA in achieving the country’s Blue Economy ambitions.

On October 7, 2021, a meeting of key stakeholders agreed that Kenya’s maritime education and training (MET) required structural reforms and significant investment from national and regional stakeholders.

The meeting of nine states was held under the Intergovernmental Standing Committee on Shipping (ISCOS), rebranded as the Maritime Organisation of Eastern, Southern, and Northern Africa (MOESNA).

Since then, BMA has expanded its course portfolio to align with industry demand and national development objectives. 

In a parallel effort to catalyse skills development, the government also designated Kenya Coast National Polytechnic (KCNP) as the Regional Flagship Marine Transport and Port Logistics Centre.

Under the East Africa Skills for Transformation and Regional Integration Project (EASTRIP), through support from the World Bank, KCNP is building a Sh1.8 billion Marine Campus in Waa, Kwale County.

Specialised programmes such as marine engineering were also rolled out at Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) and competency-based education and training (CBET) at BMA.

Despite these institutional strides, experts say the lack of a dedicated training vessel is a critical gap, especially since the lack of practical infrastructure remains a significant bottleneck.

BMA currently depends on limited training slots aboard vessels linked to the Kenya National Shipping Line, such as MV Amu, Alba Petroleum’s fleet, and Southern Engineering Company vessels.

“This forces us to rely on experienced officers offering part-time training or remote instruction as their contribution to national development,” explained Eric Katana, BMA’s Chief Executive Officer.

“These curricula are not theoretical. They’re skills-based and designed for hands-on training. Institutions now assess and certify their graduates.”

He said the absence of modern training infrastructure, particularly advanced simulators required for specialised certifications, is also a critical limitation in the maritime courses offered in Kenya.

Without local capacity to deliver courses like Engine Resource Management and Engine Room Simulator training, professionals are compelled to seek costly training overseas.

“Our inability to commercialise specialised courses due to inadequate facilities is severely hampering both our output and our revenue streams,” Katana stated.

According to Katana, a modern training vessel would cost approximately $380 million (Sh47.9 billion), while upgrading BMA’s outdated navigational simulator would require around Sh100 million.

This is a prohibitive cost for BMA and other local training institutions as investment levels by the government have not matched its rhetoric. 

Maritime training has long been viewed as peripheral rather than strategic as budgetary constraints compound BMA’s operational challenges. Despite prior allocations, the National Treasury’s austerity measures have diverted funds from critical infrastructure projects.

In the last financial year, BMA received no development budget due to reallocation pressures following nationwide youth protests. Tuition fees alone are insufficient to cover operational costs.

“We shifted to bi-annual admissions to meet swelling demand. We enrol over 1,000 students in modular courses and over 4,000 in short courses annually due to increased industry awareness,” Katana said. 

The Standards of Training, Certification, and Watchkeeping course for seafarers at BMA costs Sh25,000, yet BMA, due to pressure to ensure all Kenyans get the training, charges only Sh15,000 per course.

“Allowing BMA to offer commercial courses could unlock new revenue streams critical for sustainability,” Katana recommended.

Historically, maritime development in Kenya has been overlooked. Even the 1965 economic blueprint, ‘African Socialism and its Application to Planning in Kenya,’ failed to recognise the maritime sector, despite its role in facilitating over 95 per cent of Kenya’s external trade.

Only in 2015, at the National Maritime Conference in Nairobi, did the government acknowledge the industry’s untapped potential—a realisation cemented by Kenya’s hosting of the inaugural Sustainable Blue Economy Conference in 2018, which attracted over 16,000 participants globally.

Meanwhile, the country continues to lose maritime talent to better-paying offshore jobs. A second officer onboard a foreign vessel can earn up to USD 6,000 per month, tax-free, including essential amenities, compared to under Sh1,500 per instructional hour for trainers in Kenya, equating to roughly Sh100,000 per month.

The high cost of training and the absence of accessible certification pathways further hinder capacity.

Mr Andrew Mwangura, former Kenya Union of Seafarers (KUS), said the BMA Bill of 2023 should be enacted alongside the establishment of the Kenya Merchant Navy Training Board (KNTB).

“These institutional foundations are essential for creating world-class maritime education infrastructure. South Korea’s Maritime and Ocean University system, supported by robust government legislation, has produced highly skilled maritime professionals who command premium salaries globally,” he said.

Similarly, Mwangura said India’s comprehensive maritime education framework, anchored by strong regulatory oversight, has made it the second-largest supplier of seafarers worldwide.

“The establishment of structured sea-guided training berths for Kenyan cadets cannot be delayed. Currently, most Kenyan maritime graduates struggle to find practical training opportunities, forcing them to seek expensive placements abroad,” said Mwangura.

Other maritime analysts say quality assurance through ISO 21001 adoption by all Maritime Education and Training Institutions is non-negotiable for STCW convention compliance.

“Our partnerships with international shipping lines are inadequate. CMA-CGM offered just 12 slots, and Maersk only one. This is insufficient for our growing graduate base,” Katana acknowledged, adding that WEC Singapore withdrew 12 cadets due to a lack of Seafarer’s Identification Documents (SID).

Katana argues that, with structured sea-time programs and diplomatic engagement to secure bilateral agreements for global recognition of Kenyan CoCs, Kenya could emerge as a leading supplier of seafarers, competing with countries like the Philippines and India.

“Our seafarers are highly educated, English-speaking, and physically capable. What we lack are structured pathways to sea time. The potential is immense,” Katana noted

Moreover, shifting global dynamics favour Africa. “Europe’s traditional seafarer supply is shrinking. Africa, and Kenya in particular, is well-positioned to fill this gap,” Katana added.

Competition, however, is intensifying. Kenya faces rivals in Ghana, Nigeria, Egypt, South Africa, and even Ethiopia—a landlocked country operating 16 commercial vessels for state logistics purposes.

Over the past year, BMA has established alliances with global partners, including Denmark’s Strategic Sector Support, India’s ISECT, Colleges and Institutes Canada (CICan), the USD 25 million Kenya Blue Economy Skills Training (KBEST) project funded by Global Affairs Canada, South Korea’s KIMFT, and the Arab Academy for Science, Technology, and Maritime Transport.

To bolster domestic capacity, BMA has signed Memoranda of Understanding with the Technical University of Mombasa, KCNP, Utalii College, Kenya Coast Guard, Kisumu Training Institute, and the Kenya Navy, facilitating joint training and resource sharing.

Katana concluded, “If these partnerships are leveraged properly, Kenya can position itself as a leading supplier of competent seafarers to the global market.”