Kenya Navy rises from deep slumber

The Kenyan Navy has finally woken up from deep slumber after a hijacked Ukrainian vessel carrying weapons to Mombasa was freed by Somali pirates.

Kenya Navy boats on patrol around Mombasa.

The Kenyan Navy is notorious for its absence since Somali pirates intensified attacks on shipping in the past two years. Kenya has never launched a single raid against the pirates, some of whom are hijacking ships only 300 kilometres from Mombasa.

A few dozen pirates currently in Kenyan courts were all arrested by foreign navies. Indeed, it is a shame that countries like China and Russia are sending their navies thousands of miles to do a job that the Kenyans have utterly failed to perform.

Kenya’s modest navy should be able to tackle Somali pirates, most of whom operate in small motorboats armed with machine guns. They would be no march for a naval vessel fitted with artillery, anti-aircraft weaponry and machine guns capable of firing hundreds of rounds a minute.

But alas, the failure of leadership at the national level has permeated the ranks of the disciplined forces, rendering them impotent in the face of real danger. Like cowards who have run away from the battle field, Kenya’s navy is taking out its frustration on innocent people on the pretext of providing security at port.

As the crippled MV Faina makes its way to Mombasa under US escort, Kenya Navy warships are lying in wait at Kilindini harbour. The navy has just dusted off the rust from warships that spend more time at the Mtongwe base than in doing meaningful work. Fishermen are said to have been told to keep off Mombasa waters, in a show of might meant to hoodwink taxpayers that their navy is, “alert.”

Observers are wondering what the Kenya Navy is doing in Mombasa, while Somali pirates are having a field day hundreds of miles away. In any case, there are no pirates in Mombasa, so why the big fuss over security?

Over the years, the Navy has failed Kenyan fishermen by not protecting the country’s territorial waters from illegal fishing. It is a well known fact that fishing vessels from as far away as China, Japan and Europe sail within view of the beach and engage in wanton looting of scarce fish. This has left the Arab and Mijikenda fishermen facing destitution, as their traditional boats cannot compete with the trawlers. Throughout the years, none of the foreign trawlers has been caught by the navy for violating Kenyan law.

It is also a fact that the Coast is a major conduit for drug trafficking. International gangs take advantage of unpatrolled seas to smuggle drugs from waiting ships, with no distraction from Kenyan authorities. The Kenyan Navy is yet to apprehend a single narcotics smuggler. Today, coastal societies are ravaged by drugs with youths turning to prostitution in order to afford the expensive habit.

Meanwhile, a ship ordered for the Navy is rotting away at a Spanish court after the Kenyan government and its contractor got into a payment dispute. The KNS Jasiri, which cost over 4.1 billion shillings (US $52 million ), is docked at the port of Ribadeo as the dispute drags. By the time the case is decided, the vessel may no longer be seaworthy.

Such is the sorry state of our maritime defences.