How a boy herder rose to be Kenya's port harbour master

Captain Abdille Ali, Kenya Ports Authority harbor master. [Kelvin Karani, Standard] 

The life of Captain Abdille Ali is a tale of resilience in the face of hardships and uncertainty.

It is a journey that began in 1965 in the barren plains of Wajir County, amidst the arid expanse of Tarbaj village.

Born into modest beginnings, Ali now commands Kenya’s maritime destiny. At his tender age, early mornings when the sun rose like a molten coin, Ali would follow the camels to graze.

The crunch of dry earth beneath his bare feet and wind carrying the scent of thorn bushes sang of distant lands he hadn’t yet imagined.

His father, Ali Abdi Abdille, was withdrawn in every way, and Ali didn't know that the mzee was his greatest source of inspiration for navigating the deep oceans of this world.

The death of his mother, Habiba Abdille, shortly after his birth, hung over him like the desert’s relentless sun, but it didn’t break him - it hardened him, like the land itself.

"My father always told me; situations are not permanent. No matter how tough life gets, God can do wonders to turn things around. This wisdom has guided me through every challenge that I have faced in
life," Ali said.

School was a distant mirage; a luxury few could afford in Wajir those day. Yet, when Ali finally sat on the rough wooden benches of Tarbaj Primary School, it was clear he wasn’t just another boy from the village.

He absorbed knowledge as the desert absorbs rain, soaking in every lesson despite the hunger gnawing at his belly. The poverty was spread everywhere. It wasn’t until a feeding program was introduced in class six that things began to stabilise.

"Going to school was never certain. Hunger was a constant companion. Our sister’s hands bore the marks of menial jobs, not for coins but for crumbs to keep us alive. Growing up, poverty was a constant shadow. I remember seeing a District Officer vehicle doing medical supplies only once every six months. That scarcity fuelled my determination to rise above it," he narrated.

Opportunity called when he earned a place at Starehe Boys Centre in 1980 but fear of the unknown from his family clipped his wings. He was forced to attend Wajir High School the year that followed.

He excelled, his brilliance undeniable, catching the attention of a compassionate headmaster who secured a sponsorship for him from the Jomo Kenyatta Foundation.

That sponsorship was more than money—it was a lifeboat in a sea of poverty.

"Growing up in a rural setting with scarce role models and limited access to literature, I found a guiding light in my headteacher's mentorship. This mentorship not only filled the void but also instilled in me a resilience and belief in the transformative power of knowledge and perseverance, shaping my outlook and aspirations in profound ways,” Ali said.

After high school, fate beckoned him skyward, promising a future as an aircraft pilot. But as fate often does, it played a cruel hand—another boy took his place. Ali didn’t lament long.

He turned his gaze to the sea, where the Navy offered not just a job but a purpose.

I didn’t mourn the lost chance. What mattered was earning a living, feeding my family, and lifting them from the clutches of hunger.

The navy was a place where merit mattered. Everything was standardised, and career progression was based purely on what you could do, not who you knew,” Ali remembers.

The sea welcomed him. He joined the Kenya Navy in 1988, training rigorously at the Army Force Training Institute and later at Britannia Royal Navy College in the UK. Life at sea wasn’t forgiving—storms tested his mettle, and the vastness of the ocean mirrored the emptiness he once felt in the desert.

But just as he had learned to read the shifting sands, he learned to navigate the restless waves.

By 1993, he had earned the rank of captain. In 1994, his path took him to Rwanda and Liberia, where peacekeeping missions exposed him to humanity’s darkest chapters.

The memories of streets strewn with bodies weighed heavily on him, but
they also forged his resilience. He returned to Kenya, stronger yet more reflective, and continued rising through the naval ranks.

In 2001, when the Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) faced a crisis—a shortage of marine pilots—Ali once again answered the call. Transitioning from the military to the commercial maritime world, he embraced the challenge, completing advanced navigation training in Egypt.

The boy who once followed camels under a scorching sun was now guiding colossal ships through bustling ports.

He joined as a senior Marine Pilot, rising to the rank of chief pilot and manager Pilotage.

By 2022, he had risen to Harbour Master and General Manager of Marine Operations, overseeing Kenya’s most vital maritime gateways. Abdille ensures that every vessel has safe passage, every law upheld, and every tide respected.

Yet, despite the grandeur of his role, he found joy in the simple moments—like the 2003 rescue of stranded fishermen from a sinking boat . It reminded him of why he chose this path.

Ali’s journey, from the parched plains of Wajir to the maritime corridors of Kenya, is a testament to resilience, humility, and an unyielding spirit.

He may have traded the desert’s camels for the sea’s ships, but the lessons remained the same: patience, perseverance, and finding direction even when the horizon seemed empty.