Kenya has advanced plans to establish and operationalise a National Maritime Information Sharing Centre (NMISC) to enhance its maritime security capabilities.
A Roadmap Formulation Workshop in Mombasa (28-31 July 2025) marked another step forward in strengthening Kenya's commitment to regional cooperation, in line with the Djibouti Code of Conduct and Jeddah Amendment (DCoC/JA).
The DCoC/JA is a regional initiative to combat piracy, armed robbery against ships and other illicit maritime activities in the Western Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Aden.
The workshop brought together 15 participants from key government agencies, with IMO providing technical expertise and support. The Government of India also attended to help deconflict efforts in the process of establishing the NMISC.
In his opening remarks, Mr. Justus O. Nyarandi, Director General of the Kenya Maritime Authority stated: "We shall be assessing where we are now and what needs to be in place, the government agencies needed at the centre and the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) required so as to prepare a clear roadmap to fully operationalize the National Maritime Information Sharing Centre (NMISC)."
Mr. Kiruja Micheni, IMO DCoC's Project Manager highlighted that this inaugural meeting is supported by the EU-funded "Safe Seas for Africa" (SSA) initiative. This project, with a budget of EUR 1 million over 36 months, aims to enhance maritime security and safety in the Western Indian Ocean by strengthening intra-national, inter-agency and inter-regional coordination and cooperation. Kenya, Mauritius and Tanzania are the target countries for the establishment of NMISCs under this initiative.
Information hub to monitoring and respond to threats
During the four-day workshop, the IMO team collaborated with national stakeholders to:
- Assess current institutional, legal and operational frameworks;
- Identify priority areas for technical assistance and capacity building;
- Explore mechanisms for inter-agency coordination and information sharing; and
- Develop a sustainable and effective roadmap for the Centre.
Once operational, the NMISC will function as a national hub for collecting, analyzing and disseminating maritime information. It will enable Kenya to more effectively monitor and respond to threats such as piracy, illegal fishing, illicit trafficking and marine pollution, enhancing maritime domain awareness and operational coordination both nationally and regionally, in line with the requirements of the DCoC/JA.
Representatives from the following agencies took part in the workshop: Directorate of Immigration Services, Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS), National Police Service (NPS), National Intelligence Service (NIS), Kenya Navy (KN), Kenya Ports Authority (KPA), Kenya Maritime Authority (KMA), Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA), Kenya Fisheries Service (KFS).
