KMA bars unlicensed recruitment of Kenyan seafarers
Duly licensed Maritime Service Providers are required to operate as per the terms and conditions of the issued licenses.
The Kenya Maritime Authority (KMA) now says Kenyan seafarers shall only be recruited through licensed agencies published by the authority before they can work for any local or foreign vessels.
In a notice to shipowners, operators, agents, masters, and the public, KMA Director General Justus Nyarandi said the licensed recruitment agencies are those published on the KMA website and that any ship-owner, agent or person who engages in the business of recruitment of Kenyan seafarers without a license from the authority commits an offence and upon conviction shall be liable to a fine, imprisonment or both.
The move, he said is in accordance to section 118 (3) of the Merchant Shipping Act, 2009, that states that "No person shall, either as principal or agent engage or recruit a Kenyan seafarer for employment on board a Kenyan or foreign ship, without first obtaining a license in the prescribed form from Kenya Maritime Authority authorising such person to engage or recruit Kenyan seafarers for sear service."
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Additionally, he warned that licensed recruitment and placement agents shall not charge seafarers agency fees for recruitment services offered.
At the same time, they must submit to KMA their recruitment and embarkment reports in the first week of every month.
"The authority shall not be responsible for seafarers who accept engagement by unlicensed Recruitment and Placement Agents," he warned.
A seafarer is someone employed, engaged, or working in any capacity on board a vessel, including those working on commercial fishing vessels engaged in international voyages as deck and engine officers, ordinary seamen, cooks, hairdressers, and so forth.
KMA oversees the regulation and development of the seafarer workforce, providing resources like a seafarers' information hub and a database for Kenyan seafarers.
It also manages the issuance of the Kenyan Seafarer's Identity Document (Kenyan SID) and maintains a list of approved maritime training institutions and licensed recruitment agents as part of its overall mandate to regulate, coordinate, and oversee maritime affairs in Kenya.
As such, the Authority undertakes registration, licensing, and renewal of Maritime Service Providers (MSP) licenses as per the Merchant Shipping Act 2009 and the provisions of relevant regulations.
Duly licensed Maritime Service Providers are required to operate as per the terms and conditions of the issued licenses.
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