Kenya’s ambition to become a maritime hub has hit a financial snag. The National Seafarers Council, mandated to protect the rights of Kenyan sailors, is reportedly broke and unable to fulfill its functions, 13 years after Kenya ratified the Maritime Labour Convention (MLC).

Insiders claim the council exists only on paper, lacking the budget to inspect ships or resolve wage disputes. "We send our youth to sea, but when they are abandoned in foreign ports, there is no one to call," lamented a union representative. The Blue Economy ministry is under pressure to operationalize the body or risk blacklisting by global maritime unions.