Maritime agency gets a new boss after delay of four years

The Kenya Maritime Authority has a new boss.

The appointment of George Okong’o, a retired major, as the authority’s director-general was announced last week.

The new DG will find a full in-tray, including a controversy over the construction a 13-storey complex in Mombasa at a cost of Sh1.8 billion.

In April 13 this year, Head of Public Service Joseph Kinyua said the building should not go beyond four floors. The building was to house the Kenya Maritime Authority (KMA) headquarters and the Maritime Technology Cooperation Center for Africa.

KMA had entered into an agreement with the contractor and officials expressed fears that any alteration could see the State corporation incur a loss.

Mr Kinyua also wanted KMA to review its organizational structure, including its operational manuals and procedures.

Industry players will also be keen to see how the new DG will handle the directive by the Government to KMA to surrender 60 per cent of total collection from the merchant levy to the Blue Economy Secretariat.

KMA collects, on average, Sh1.2 billion annually, according to officials at the maritime regulatory body.

Industry players say the decision to force KMA to hand over more than half of its collections would render it powerless.

Okong’o, a former naval officer, yesterday said he was ready for the job, adding that he had worked in the sector for more than two decades.

“My appointment marks another major milestone in my career. I am confident that I will steer this organisation to greater heights,” he said.

Mr Okong’o graduated from Kenyatta University with a Bachelor of Science in 1994 and has had extensive training in maritime and shipping affairs

The agency has been without a DG since 2014 when the former DG, Nancy Karigithu, was appointed the principal secretary in the State Department of Shipping and Maritime Affairs.

Suits by civil society groups questioning the recruitment procedure had delayed the appointment of a new DG.