High cost of training locks Kenyans out of sea jobs

Thousands of Kenyan youths are missing out on maritime jobs due to the high cost of training, Kenya’s special envoy for maritime and blue economy Nancy Karigithu has said.

Speaking in Mombasa, she said demand for maritime workers in the shipping industry worldwide has shot up, putting pressure on quality training.

Data from the industry regulator Kenya Maritime Authority (KMA), shows that Kenyan seafarers placed onboard ships since 2021 are 3,500 with 2,700 recruited between 2023 and 2024.

KMA has 11000 seafarers in its register. Seafarers have complained that the fee for the Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping course is astronomical. The 10-day course goes for Sh35,000.

Dr Karigithu said the cost is too high for most seafarers who are generally poor. She said the cost is currently being shouldered by the poor families of the seafarers, which hinders skill acquisition.

“When we started mass recruitment drives in Kenya a few years ago, one of the things that caused me sleepless nights was the discrimination that underpinned the whole exercise. While our recruitment targeted the hospitality industry, the costs remain astronomical,” she said.

Karigithu criticised the global reduction in funds for seafarer training, with 56 per cent of the cost borne by the families.

She said young people should be introduced to the maritime world through programs like Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM), adopt-a-ship, and elementary education curriculum.

Karigithu argued that “catching them young” will help attract the best talent into shipping by building character and creating world citizens.

She was addressing the third blue economy conference organised by the Dar es Maritime Institute and Regional Maritime University, Ghana, at the Julius Nyerere International Conference Centre in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

Speaking separately, KMA chairman Hamisi Mwaguya said they are set to launch a maritime cadet-ship program in collaboration with the Higher Education Loans Board (HELB) to help Kenyans attain sea time experience.

“Under the authority’s Vijana Baharia project, we also continue to avail funding to seafarers through HELB and also are in the process of making arrangements for the issuance of the Seafarers Identity Document to Kenyan seafarers to facilitate their transit and transfer in ports,” he said.

KMA Director General Martin Munga said the employment of Kenyan seafarers would increase Kenya’s foreign exchange earnings and boost the Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

“The number of Kenyan seafarers placed onboard ships so far is 3150 since year 2021 with 2700 seafarers having been recruited between 2023 and 2024. The Authority also maintains a register of Kenyan seafarers,” he noted.

“In this regard, seafarers need to register and update their records with KMA. Currently, KMA has registered 11000 seafarers.”

On gender, Karigithu noted that out of the 1.89 million seafarers globally, only 24,059 are women, adding that efforts to address equality have been slow in the maritime industry.

She emphasised the need to intentionally improve women’s representation in the sector through mentorship and by increasing the talent pool among females due to an anticipated shortage of 89,000 officers in the next three years.

“I look forward to the day it will be possible for a Danish Shipping Company to have all the crew on its tanker from Tanzania, Kenya and Ghana,” she said.

The envoy noted that seafarers should acquire competencies and skills to cope with the latest demands for the maritime industry to decarbonize.

“Seafarers will need to acquire new competencies and skills to keep pace with the latest technologies and operational procedures associated with this transition, for example, training on how to overcome the challenges and adaptation to new technologies, understanding of and compliance with new regulatory changes,” she said.