Reports emerged on Tuesday that the parastatal is struggling with a shortage
Kenya does not have a shortage of
marine pilots, the Kenya Ports Authority has said.
There have been claims that the
parastatal is struggling with a shortage of pilots who are mainly responsible for safely guiding ships into
and out of harbour limits and during
berthing and unberthing operations.
Kenya Ports Authority managing
director William Ruto on Friday said
they have enough marine pilots.
He
said three additional ones including
the first-ever female captain Elizabeth
Marami, have been added.
“Where I stand, there is no shortage
of pilots,” Ruto said.
He spoke after distributing foodstuff worth Sh4.6 million to Muslim
faithful in Mombasa and Lamu in the
spirit of Ramadhan.
Reports emerged on Tuesday that
the parastatal is struggling with a
shortage of marine pilots.
A shortage
of experts means the efficiency
and operational capabilities of the
port will be significantly challenged.
This has not been the case, according to Captain Ruto, with the Mombasa port has been posting increasingly improving and record-breaking
performances since he took the helm.
“Maybe you heard a different thing,
unless you enlighten me more. But
from where I stand in our department,
there is no shortage of pilots,” the
KPA boss said.
“It is only yesterday, that we received the first captain lady in this
country. She graduated recently and
now she is a pilot,” Captain Ruto said.
According to sources at the KPA,
26 marine pilots and engineers have been taken for training in the UK.
These include 15 marine pilots and
11 marine engineers.
Of the 15 marine pilots, three are
already back in Kenya after completing their intensive marine pilotage
studies, including Marami.
The remaining 12 will help at the
Mombasa and Lamu ports when they
arrive back in the country.
“When they come, some will be
permanently stationed in Lamu. This
means pilots will not be sent to Lamu
from Mombasa when ships arrive at
the Lamu port as has been happening,” a source at the Mombasa port
told the Star.
There are few master mariners in Kenya because of the amount of time
it takes to qualify to be one and the
expenses involved.
Becoming a master mariner in Kenya typically takes around 12 years,
involving initial training, practical
sea time and further qualifications.
In 76 years, there have only been
52 master mariners in the country.
Maritime expert Andrew Mwangura said the recent developments offer
a promising glimpse into the port’s
future, with a robust recruitment and
training initiative taking shape.
Mwangura said the three marine
pilots already back in the country
and the 12 still studying in the UK
represent a significant investment in the port’s human capital and its longterm operational sustainability.