KENYA RE-ELECTED TO THE INTERNATIONAL MARITIME ORGANIZATION (IMO) COUNCIL FOR TWO YEARS

Kenya has been re-elected to the membership of the International Maritime Organization (IMO)
Council Category C after intense lobbying and campaigning in the United Kingdom for the past
one week. In the elections, Kenya managed to get 128 votes out of the total 168 votes.
This means that Kenya together with other elected States under the Assembly will assist in the
coordination of activities of the organs and supervising the work of the IMO.
Currently there are three categories of IMO Council membership which include: Category (A)
which constitutes of 10 states with the largest interest in providing international shipping
services and they include China, Greece, Italy, Japan, Liberia, Norway, Panama, the Republic of
Korea, the United Kingdom and the United States.
Category (B) constitutes 10 states with the largest interest in international seaborne trade and
they include Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, India, Kingdom of the Netherlands,
Spain, Sweden and the United Arab Emirates
Category (C) constitutes of 20 states not elected under (A) or (B), which have special interest in
maritime transport or navigation and whose election to the council will ensure the representation
of all major geographic areas of the world. The states under this category include: Bahamas,
Bangladesh, Chile, Cyprus, Denmark, Egypt, Finland, Indonesia, Jamaica, Kenya, Malaysia,
Malta, Mexico, Morocco, Peru, the Philippines, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore and Turkiye.
CS for Mining, Blue Economy and Maritime Affairs Salim Mvurya present during the elections
in the UK affirmed Kenya’s commitment in complying with the IMO’s regulations and to ensure
safe, secure and reliable Maritime trade. He said that the re-elections affirms the maritime world
has great confidence in the efforts Kenya is making to build the maritime profile.
“Kenya has all that is required for global maritime take-off as exhibited in this re-elections. I
thus invite investors to come to Kenya and tap into the yet-to-be explored areas in the maritime
and shipping sector,” he stated.
Accompanying him to the UK was the Principal Secretary for Shipping and Maritime Affairs
Geoffrey Kaituko, Ag DG Kenya Maritime Authority John Omingo and Kenya’s High
Commission to the United Kingdom Ambassador Manoah Esipisu.