Kenya pushes for stronger global partnerships to tackle maritime crimes

SADIK HASSAN-KNA

Kenya has reaffirmed its commitment to deepening collaboration with Indo-Pacific nations to enhance maritime security amid growing threats from piracy, illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, and other organised maritime crimes.

Cabinet Secretary for Interior and National Administration Kipchumba Murkomen said stronger international partnerships are critical to safeguarding global sea routes, protecting vulnerable populations, and supporting international trade and economic growth.

Speaking in Mombasa during the opening of the Fourth Indo-Pacific Regional Information Sharing (IORIS) Steering Committee High-Level Meeting, Murkomen noted that cooperation among nations remains vital in ensuring secure maritime transport and sustaining regional and global economies.

“The ongoing Middle East crisis is a clear manifestation of how we all suffer when our sea lanes of maritime transport are disrupted. This also includes other maritime-based transnational threats such as piracy, armed robbery at sea, IUU fishing, and the dangers of dumping hazardous materials on sea beds, among others. 

“Such organised maritime threats pose an existential threat to mankind generally, and vulnerable populations in particular. This ought to be stopped. It is for this reason that proactive collaborations and partnerships, such as the current interaction happening now, are critical,” Murkomen said.

Kenya is a member of IORIS, a neutral and secure digital platform developed under the European Union’s CRIMARIO project.

The platform enables national agencies and regional partners to jointly plan and coordinate maritime operations, including crisis and incident management, while enhancing information sharing and strengthening interagency collaboration at both national and regional levels.

It also provides advanced surveillance capabilities. Currently, more than 150 national and regional maritime organisations and entities from over 50 countries across the Indo-Pacific region use the IORIS platform.

Murkomen praised the European Union, through its Nairobi mission, for partnering with Kenya to deliver practical solutions to maritime security challenges.