Genesis of Seafarers Union of Kenya

By Andrew Mwangura 

Email, thecoastnewspaper2gmail.com

Seafarers union is one of the oldest maritime labour movement in Africa as it was established in 1953 as the East African National Seamen Union (EANSU).

That union, then, produced high ranking government officials in Zanzibar, Tanganyika, Uganda and Kenya in all arms of government as well as intellectuals and leaders in all spheres of life.

They included the first President of Zanzibar and the first Vice-President of the United Republic of Tanzania (1964-1972) Sheikh Abeid Amani Karume. He was the founding father of the EANSU.

The late president was a merchant mariner working as a quarter master aboard foreign ocean-going merchant ships owned by the British India Steam Navigation Company (Pre-P&O years).

Before forming EANSU majority of the seafarers from East Africa were members of the Railways and Maritime Transport Union of Great Britain.

As a pan-Africanist, he worked closely with Dennis Akumu (Dockers Union, COTU, OATTU), Juma Boy (Dockers Union, COTU), Achola Ogaye Mak’Anyengo (Railways and Harbors Union), Prof Abdul Rahman Babu, Walter Rodney (Working People’s Alliance), Huey Newton (Black Panther Party), Bobby Seale (Black Panther Party) and Elbert Howard (Black Panther Party).

Other high ranking government officials and civic leaders produced by union includes His Worship the Mayor of Mombasa Abdultif Ubwa ‘Tiff’, Lamu East MP Omar Mzamil, Mombasa North MP Ibrahim Salim Mwaruwa, Mombasa North MP Said Hemed, Mombasa South MP Abdul Mwidau, Kongowea Ward Councilor Hassan Abubakar Mtele ‘Papa Joe’, Kongowea Ward Councilor Hon Khelf Ahmed Salim ‘Paru’.

Many former and current high ranking port managers, admiralty and maritime lawyers, marine pilots, ship surveyors, shipwrights, ship owners at the sea ports of Mombasa,Tanga, Dar es Salaam, Zanzibar, Mtwara, DP World in Dubai, Jebel Al, Namibian Port Authority and Qatar were during their shipboard training at sea they were trained by members of the East African Seamen Union now known as SUK.

DP World is a global port operator and logistics company based in Dubai United Arab Emirates. It is one of the largest marine terminal operators in the world, handling cargo operations across various Portland logistics hubs.

DP world provides services in areas such as container handling, logistics, and Maritime services, contributing significantly to international trade and supply chain management.

Jebel Al is one of the largest and busiest ports in the world and serves as a critical hub for Maritime trade in the middle East.

The port is known for its advanced facilities and infrastructure, including extensive container handling capabilities and its role in supporting Dubai’s status as a global logistics and trade center.

Some of the machine and crane operators at the Port Jebel Al are Kenyans trained at the Bandari College.

The Port of Qatar also known as Hamad Port is the primary Sea Port in Qatar. Hamad is a modern facility designed to handle a wide range of cargo, including containers, general cargo,and bulk commodities.

It plays a crucial role in supporting Qatar’s economic  activities, particularly in sector such as oil and gas construction and trade. 

The port is equipped with advanced technology and infrastructure to accommodate large vessels and facilitate efficient cargo handling.

The port of Singapore is one of the busiest and most advanced ports in the world, handling a significant portion of the world ‘s shipping traffic.

It serves as a critical gateway and most important sealane of communications (SLOCs) for international trade and has extensive facilities for container handling, bulk cargo, and logistics services.

The Port ‘s strategic location and sophisticated infrastructure contributes to  Singapore’s status as a leading global maritime center.

Apart from producing top ranking government officials, port managers and civic leaders, the union has also offered practical and technical support to civil rights movements in the United States of America in the  1960s and also it offered practical and technical support to labour movements in the frontline states of Southern Africa during the fight against apartheid system in South Africa.

The union also offered practical and technical support to Central Organization of Trade Unions in Kenya in 1960s and 1970s