Kenya deepens ties with Indo-Pacific nations to boost maritime security

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 (CS) for Interior and National Administration, Kipchumba Murkomen, says 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 inter-agency 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. He noted that targeted joint interventions have significantly improved Kenya’s maritime safety and security while enhancing the country’s capacity to address threats within its territorial waters.

He further lauded the platform’s contribution to Kenya’s national security framework, saying its use has strengthened maritime security and safety while safeguarding freedom of navigation.

“The platform has also enabled agencies to communicate and share critical information amongst themselves and within the wider global community of members, hence securing our sea lanes and ultimately boosting international maritime-based trade.”

Murkomen also revealed that the Kenya Coast Guard Service (KCGS), in collaboration with the EU CRIMARIO project, has developed a breakthrough mobile application dubbed Usalama Baharini, which is embedded within the IORIS platform.

“Through this integration of technologies, KCGS can leverage the fisherfolk at sea in accessing critical security and safety information, enabling timely enforcement reaction. This effectively gives the KCGS a third eye on maritime domain awareness, hence helping improve maritime security,” he said.

EU CRIMARIO Director Martin Inglot underscored the importance of international cooperation in safeguarding critical underwater infrastructure, including submarine cables that support governance systems, financial networks, and global markets.

“No country can safeguard these infrastructures alone. It requires cooperation nationally, regionally, and globally. It requires military and civilian actors to work together, and it requires a trusted information sharing system, and perhaps IORIS can bring a solution,” he stated.

KCGS Director General, Bruno Shioso, said the three-day meeting, co-hosted by the KCGS and EU CRIMARIO, has brought together delegates from as far as the Atlantic Ocean to discuss shared maritime domain challenges and explore strategic interventions and sustained cooperation to address them.

By Sadik Hassan