This archive report was first published on 25 September 2019.
Kenya Cracks Down on Maritime Slavery ¶
Kenya's government has initiated a long-overdue review of seafarers' pay and working agreements, a move aimed at ending the extreme poor working conditions of over 7,000 registered seafarers.
According to Principal Secretary for Maritime and Shipping Affairs Nancy Karigithu, seafarers are the human face of the maritime sector and often work in physically and mentally draining conditions. As such, they need to be well remunerated.
"As we work to make gains on a number of Blue Economy projects in the country, thousands of seafarers who are subjected to different terms and conditions of service in tankers, cruise ships, fishing vessels, and cargo ships need to be motivated, that is why we are working on these regulations," said Ms Karigithu.
The government is at an advanced stage in setting up a Seafarers Sectoral Wage Council to check on the implementation of the set salary structure and attract more people to the sea employment.
Ms Karigithu noted that there is a need to set internationally accepted safety nets, reliable payment wages, and ensure seafarers work with recommended eight hours a day, unless they are paid over time.
She also emphasized the need to address hurdles preventing local investors from owning ships, which would create more sea jobs.
"The Transport ministry should address bottlenecks that have hindered local investors from owning ships to enhance job creation in this sector which has a lot of potential," she said.
Many foreign ships have been coming to Mombasa to recruit Kenyan seafarers only to exploit them and even abandon them at sea.
Acting Labour Commissioner Geoffrey Omondi said the Labour Institutions Act of 2007 has not adequately addressed remuneration of seafarers and determination of minimum wages.
Mr Omondi noted that there is no clear regulatory structure of wages and employment for the sector despite Kenya being a member of the International Labour Organization (ILO) which stipulates decent working conditions for its members.
The ILO provides provision of seafarers' wages, hours of work, and manning of ships.
Among the safety nets the government has taken to end maritime slavery include gazetting companies to recruit seafarers. The firms authorized include Mombasa Ocean Agency, Alpha Logistics, Diverse Shipping Limited, East Africa Deep Fishing Limited, and MSC Shipping Management Agency.
The Kenya Maritime Authority warns any firm found recruiting seafarers and is not gazetted to do so contravenes the law and is liable to a fine of Ksh100,000 ($1,000) or imprisonment for a term not exceeding six months, or both.
