President Uhuru Kenyatta on Monday met his longtime foe-turned-friend Mombasa Governor Ali Hassan Joho during the commissioning of Bandari Maritime Academy.
Joho welcomed the Head of State when he landed in Mombasa. He was accompanied by several officials from the government during the commissioning.
Some of the officials include Education CS George Magoha and his Transport counterpart James Macharia.
Speaking during the event, the President said that the new project aims at solving the problem of the shortage of Seafarers in the country. He reiterated that he is fully behind the maritime industry and promised to bring more development to the sector.
“The Bandari Maritime Academy will offer training for careers in the maritime sector and bridge the existing shortage of qualified Seafarers in Kenya in line with the emerging #BlueEconomy sector,” State House said in a tweet.
The Academy is expected to offer advanced maritime education and training to appropriately qualified candidates from different parts of the country. The project was unveiled by the national government in partnership with Mediterranean Shipping Company SA (MSC, SA).
The state hopes to create around 2,000 jobs for various groups from the project following its commissioning.
“The Government partnered with the Mediterranean Shipping Company SA (MSC, SA) to create 2,000 employment opportunities for Kenyan youth as Seafarers on MSC cargo and cruise vessels, as well as 1,500 Seatime opportunities annually,” reads another tweet from Uhuru’s communication team.