Mining, Blue Economy and Maritime Affairs Cabinet Secretary Hassan Joho has been taken to task over the expenditure of Sh1 billion provided by the Canadian government’s Global Affairs Department for supporting Women in the Blue Economy.

Nominated Senator Miraj Abdullahi challenged Joho, who appeared before the Senate plenary, to shed light on the names of the companies and groups that benefited, the counties they came from, the funds they received, and when they received the funds.

Joho, in response, said it was a five-year programme from 2022 to 2026 seeking to contribute to women’s economic empowerment through their enterprises, suppliers, and producers along key supply chains where women-owned enterprises are discriminated against in the Blue Economy in Kenya.

“Since the programme was officially launched in August 2023, approximately Sh402.3 million, about 84 per cent of available funds, has been committed to 77 women-owned MSMEs, which is 70 per cent of the targeted 110 women-owned MSMEs,” said Joho.

According to the CS Sh1 billion programme is being implemented in Lake Victoria and Indian Ocean regions, with the targeted counties being Busia, Siaya, Kisumu, Homa Bay, Migori, Kwale, Mombasa, Kilifi, Tana River, Lamu, and Taita Taveta. 

Joho said that the grants support blue economy-related activities in fisheries and aquaculture, tourism, waste management, inputs and services, Biodiversity protection, childcare Services, and financial services.

The CS told Senators that the programme offers technical assistance in business development, training to reduce gender barriers and discriminatory social norms.

“Can the Cabinet Secretary explain to Senators the steps and measures being undertaken by Bandari Maritime Academy and the Board to ensure that the certificates issued by the institution have full international recognition,” posed Miraj.

Joho said that the Bandari Maritime Academy (BMA) is a Maritime Training Institution operating under the regulation of the Kenya Maritime Authority (KMA) and that while BMA is responsible for training seafarers, KMA approves the training curriculum used by BMA and certifies the trainees from the Academy.

Joho said to enhance the mutual recognition of Certificate of Competency offered to seafarers from Kenya, the government, through the Ministry of Mining, Blue Economy and Maritime Affairs, is working with South Korea, Denmark, Singapore, Egypt, China, Japan, the Marshal Islands, and the Bahamas.

“Bandari Maritime Academy, as a maritime training institution, has already signed an MOU with Korea Institute of Maritime and Fisheries Technology that has seen its cadets attend onboard training in South Korea,” said Joho.

He informed the Senate that the Academy has also signed a Memorandum of Understanding with SIMAC Maritime University of Denmark, and is at an advanced stage of signing an MOU with Dar es Salaam Maritime Institute and the Regional Maritime University of Ghana

According to the Cabinet Secretary, these efforts are meant to enhance recognition of Kenyan certificates globally and increase sea time opportunities and employability of Bandari Maritime Academy graduates and Kenyan Cadets, and seafarers at large.

Further, his ministry has actively been engaged in training fish crews in deep-sea fishing for job creation and economic empowerment, with a total of 875 youth having been trained.

“This initiative was established to comply with the Fisheries Management and Development Act, Cap 378 of 2016, which mandates foreign and industrial fishing vessels to employ Kenyan crew. Additionally, it addresses the need to supply qualified crew for Kenya-flagged vessels and other international fishing fleets requiring skilled personnel,” explained Joho.

The training framework consists of Standards of Training Certification and Watchkeeping (STCW), theoretical basic fisheries management, and deep-sea fishing practical conducted onboard industrial fishing vessels.