The Kenya Maritime Authority (KMA) is advancing the issuance of Seafarer Identity Documents (SIDs) to enable thousands of Kenyan seafarers to access international job opportunities on foreign-flagged vessels.
KMA Director General CPA Justus Omae Nyarandi announced a forum to discuss seafarer recruitment and placement held at the KMA headquarters in Mombasa, attended by recruitment and placement agencies. He said the procurement bid for the SIDs closed on February 10 and the evaluation process is currently underway.
SIDs are internationally recognised documents issued under the International Labour Organisation’s Convention No. 185 and are a mandatory requirement for seafarers seeking employment on ships registered in countries that are signatories to the convention. Without the documents, Kenyan seafarers have been unable to fully exploit employment opportunities created by Kenya’s growing portfolio of recognition agreements.
“A bid has been taken to the Appeals Board, but we hope that we can finish this in the next two to three weeks so that this vital document for our seafarers is issued as scheduled from April this year,” Nyarandi said.
The timely issuance of SIDs has taken on added urgency following Kenya’s rapid expansion of mutual recognition agreements. Kenya has so far concluded seven such agreements with ship-owning maritime administrations, namely Panama, Palau, Liberia, Jamaica, Saudi Arabia, the Commonwealth of Dominica, and most recently Singapore. Together, these agreements open access to employment across more than 14,000 international ships.
The agreement with Singapore, the most recent addition concluded under the Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping (STCW) Regulation I-10, is considered particularly significant. Singapore is one of the world’s largest shipping registries, and the deal allows Kenyan seafarers holding Certificates of Competency to obtain Singapore endorsements, connecting them to a wider pool of better-paid and more secure positions.
“This recognition agreement is a game-changer. It bridges Kenyan maritime talent with Singapore’s global shipping network, unlocking thousands of opportunities while elevating Kenya’s reputation in the international maritime community,” Nyarandi said.
Despite the growing number of agreements, KMA data shows a significant employment gap. Of the 16,000 seafarers currently on the national register, only approximately 5,000 are actively employed. KMA has set a target of growing that figure to between 20,000 and 40,000, which would place Kenya alongside leading maritime labour-supplying nations such as the Philippines. The authority said the rollout of SIDs is a critical step toward closing that gap.
Beyond employment, KMA said the recognition agreements supported by SIDs are expected to benefit Kenya’s maritime education and training institutions through collaboration with foreign academies in training, research, and faculty exchange, ensuring that Kenyan certification aligns with global best practices.
The SID rollout and expanding agreements build on Kenya’s successful completion of an International Maritime Organisation (IMO) independent evaluation in March 2025
under the STCW Convention, through which the country maintained its “whitelist” status as confirmed by the 110th Session of the Maritime Safety Committee. The designation enhances global confidence in Kenyan seafarer certification.
Nyarandi said KMA would hold a follow-up meeting with seafarers and their union to update them on the authority’s efforts. He added that increased employment of Kenyan seafarers on internationally registered vessels would translate into higher remittances, with direct benefits to the national economy.
by Sitati Reagan and Ramadhan Nassib
Photo and Caption by Shayne Nashilu/KNA
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