Big blow for Kenya as it loses second key IMO seat

L-R: Amb. Josphat Maikara Director General Political & Diplomatic Affairs,SDEA,Hon. Hassan Ali Joho Cabinet Secretary Ministry Of Mining,Blue Economy and Maritime Affairs & Aden Millah Principal Secretary SDSMA Kenya has officially launched its bid for re-election to the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) Council under Category C for the 2026–2027 term.[Wilberforce Okwiri,Standard]

Kenya has lost its grip on the United Nations’ maritime body after it was knocked out of the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) executive organ.

It is the second loss in two years. A spirited fight for the secretary general post of the London-based IMO also flopped two years ago after Kenya lost to Panama.

Kenya launched its candidacy for re-election to the IMO council under category (C) for the biennium 2026-2027 during the 134th Session on December 3 this year.

The seat would have enabled Kenya to directly participate in global maritime policy development and advance maritime solutions on the global stage.

In the latest bid, South Africa and Nigeria secured the seats in the IMO category C during the recent November 28th, 2025, elections in London.

The results mean that Kenya will, for the next two years, remain out of the coveted UN global maritime agency ranking and decision-making bodies.

On Wednesday, stakeholders in the maritime industry said the loss should serve as a sobering moment for Kenya’s maritime sector and foreign policy establishment. 

Mr Andrew Mwangura, former Secretary General of the Seafarers Union of Kenya (SUK), describes the loss as another diplomatic embarrassment.

“It represents a critical failure in strategic positioning that will have tangible consequences for Kenya’s maritime economy and regional influence and peace,” he said.

According to Mwangura, to understand why Kenya lost requires acknowledging some uncomfortable truths about how international organisations function. 

He said category C seats are ostensibly allocated based on “special maritime interests” or geographic balance, but the reality is far more complex.

The IMO elections are won through diplomatic engagement, demonstrated leadership on key issues, and the cultivation of voting coalitions across regions, he said. 

Mwangura said the secret ballot format of voting means countries cast their votes based on relationships, perceived value, and promises made in the corridors and side meetings.

Kenya’s defeat suggests it was outmaneuvered in the diplomatic front.

“Nigeria leveraged its position as Africa’s largest economy and its substantial maritime trade driven by oil exports and likely made compelling commitments on issues that matter to other IMO members—particularly decarbonisation, which sits at the top of the organisation’s agenda,” he added. 

South Africa, reportedly, took its strategic control of shipping lanes around the Cape of Good Hope and its leadership in maritime security and environmental sustainability. 

‘’Both countries invested in diplomatic capital to secure votes, sending high-level delegations to engage with counterparts months before the election,” said Mwangura.

Kenya reportedly relied heavily on the assumption that the Port of Mombasa’s regional importance and its previous council membership would be sufficient.

The timing of this loss amplifies its severity. 

IMO is wrestling with its net-zero framework after failing to adopt decarbonisation measures weeks before the election. 

Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez said IMO should navigate “geopolitical tensions, evolving trade patterns, and an accelerating global transition towards decarbonisation and digitalisation.

“These are foundational issues that will reshape maritime economics for decades. 

Decarbonisation standards will determine compliance costs for ports, influence shipping route economics, and create winners and losers in the competition for cargo. 

Mwangura stated that without a council seat, Kenya loses its opportunity to influence these standards before they become binding obligations.

He explained that the practical implications of this absence are substantial.