President Uhuru Kenyatta signs a Bill into law at State House, Nairobi. FILE PHOTO | NMG
The Cabinet has approved the Kenya Coast Guard Service Bill,
setting in motion the country’s long-held plan of having a special
agency to protect its coastline.
The Bill, which was
signed on Thursday during a Cabinet meeting chaired by President Uhuru
Kenyatta, has been on ice for three years.
The
proposed law seeks to guide the establishment of a Kenya Coast Guard
Service (KCGS) as a specialised law-enforcement agency to deal with
maritime issues, a role currently undertaken by the Kenya Navy.
“The
Kenya Navy is not legally and operationally equipped for law
enforcement, particularly in territorial and international waters,”
states the Cabinet’s brief.
“Maritime law-enforcement
would be KCGS’s main responsibility.” President Kenyatta first floated
the idea of setting up the KCGS in January 2014 citing increased cases
of drug trafficking, illegal fishing, piracy and dumping of harmful
waste in Kenya’s waters.
Kenya has a long coastline
which borders countries such as lawless Somalia and runs more than
600kms into the high seas. Apart from the Kenya Navy, the government has
also been relying on agencies such as Kenya Police Service, Kenya Ports
Authority, Kenya Wildlife Service and Kenya Revenue Authority to
safeguard its coastline.
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