Seafarers urge President Ruto to intervene over delayed roll out of SID

 

Seafarers Union of Kenya Secretary General Atie Swaleh Ramadhan, during a media briefing, Mombasa, April 13, 2026. [Robert Menza, Standard]

Kenya’s continued failure to issue Seafarers’ Identity Documents (SIDs) to its seafarers is not merely a bureaucratic delay; it is a glaring policy paralysis that exposes deeper weaknesses in maritime governance. 

Mombasa-based independent maritime consultant and a former secretary general of the Seafarers Union of Kenya (SUK), Mr Andrew Mwangura, said that years after

Committing to international maritime labour standards, the country still leaves its seafarers stranded in uncertainty, unable to compete fairly in the global labour market 

or enjoy the protections that such documents guarantee. 

He said that it is time President William Ruto intervenes to save Kenyan seafarers who are staring at massive job losses.

''The stagnation of this process raises uncomfortable questions about political will, administrative seriousness, and the value Kenya places on its maritime 

workforce,'' he said.

Mwangura explained that the SID document is not a luxury. 

Under the International Labour Organisation’s Convention No. 185, it is a critical tool that confirms a seafarer’s identity and professional status, facilitating 

shore leave, transit, and employment across borders. For seafarers, the SID is as essential as a passport. 

 ''Without it, Kenyan seafarers face routine visa denials, restricted movement in foreign ports, and exclusion from job opportunities that demand compliance 

with international security and labour requirements. In effect, they are rendered invisible in an industry that depends on mobility and trust.

Kenya’s delay cannot be explained by lack of awareness,'' he said.

The issue has been discussed repeatedly in maritime forums, union engagements, and policy circles. Committees have been formed, promises made, and timelines floated, yet nothing concrete has materialised. This suggests that the problem is not technical complexity but institutional inertia. 

The technology to issue secure biometric documents exists. 

Other developing maritime nations have implemented SID systems with fewer resources than Kenya has. The stagnation, therefore, points to a governance failure 

rather than an operational one.

 A key factor appears to be fragmented responsibility. Maritime labour matters in Kenya sit awkwardly between multiple agencies, with overlapping mandates and unclear leadership.

''When accountability is diluted, urgency evaporates. Each institution can plausibly claim that the matter lies elsewhere, resulting in endless consultations and no execution. Meanwhile, seafarers continue to bear the cost of this administrative tug-of-war, the former SUK official said

 Stakeholders further argue that the absence of a single empowered authority to drive the SID process from policy to issuance has been fatal to progress.

 '' We know Kenya Maritime Authority (KMA) as the lead maritime regulator to lead the process. At some point in time, we were informed that it was now the work of the

 Immigration Department helps with the rollout of the SID. There is total confusion which has yet to be cleared,'' Mr Steve Owaki, another former SUK official

 and mentor, said.

 Owaki said that the delay defeats claims by the government on its stand of facilitating jobs for Kenyans to work abroad.

 ''Seafaring jobs are low-hanging fruit with better pay. Kenyans are known to be very hardworking and form the bulk of potential recruits in seagoing jobs. We seek 

President William Ruto to directly intervene and have the SIDs issued without any delays,'' Owaki said.

Mwangura added that equally troubling is the apparent disconnect between Kenya’s blue economy ambitions and the treatment of seafarers.

''Government rhetoric frequently celebrates the blue economy as a pillar of national growth, emphasising ports, shipping lanes, and maritime trade. Yet the human capital that animates this economy is neglected. Seafarers are not peripheral actors; they are the engine of maritime commerce. 

Failing to secure their documentation undermines the credibility of Kenya’s broader maritime aspirations and signals a preference for infrastructure over people,'' he said.

He added that the stagnation also reflects a deeper undervaluation of labour voices. Seafarers’ unions and associations have consistently raised this issue, often with clear, practical proposals. 

''Their frustration has grown as engagements yield statements rather than solutions,'' he said.

This pattern reinforces a perception that maritime labour concerns are tolerated rhetorically but deprioritised in practice. Over time, such neglect erodes trust between workers and the state, breeding cynicism and disengagement in a sector that relies on discipline and professionalism.

There are real economic consequences to this delay. Kenyan seafarers lose contracts to peers from countries with compliant documentation regimes. 

Foreign shipowners and maritime stakeholders, wary of port state controls and immigration complications, simply avoid hiring them. This translates into lost remittances,

diminished skills transfer, and a shrinking footprint for Kenya in the global seafaring labour market.

At a time of high youth unemployment, Mwangura noted that the failure to unlock seafaring opportunities is particularly shortsighted and uncalled for.

Mwangura emphasised that ultimately, the question is not why issuing SIDs is difficult, but why it is not treated as urgent. The answer lies in priorities. 

''Where leadership is decisive, administrative obstacles are resolved. Where commitment is weak, processes stagnate indefinitely. Kenya’s seafarers have waited long enough.

Issuing Seafarers’ Identification Documents should not be an aspirational project or a recurring agenda item; it should be an accomplished fact, period,'' he reiterated.

''Mr President, Sir, please make it count. Let the government move from promises to implementation, as the silence will continue to echo across the docks and decks where Kenyan seafarers work." Mwangura added further.