Inside Kenya Shipyards: How Kenya Navy engineers build modern boats and ships

According to the Kenya Maritime Authority, 420 boat accidents were recorded on the Kenyan side of Lake Victoria between 2015 and 2025, resulting in over 250 deaths. The figures could reach thousands across East Africa. 

The major causes of these accidents included overloading, sudden strong winds, lack of life jackets, poorly maintained wooden boats and untrained boat operators.

Edward Omol is the Business Development Manager for Kenya Shipyards Ltd

“One of the things that has been happening in Lake Victoria in particular is many accidents; unsafe vessels, unsettled vessels, and particularly the ones that are constructed using wood. A lot of accidents in the waters… one too many lives lost in the waters. And you see most of the guys who go out fishing are the breadwinners.”

“It's out of this that we decided to come up with the Glass Reinforced Polymer (GRP) which is a modern, safer, lighter, more profitable, environmentally friendly, easy to operate boat, and many other things.”

George Omondi, a local fisherman and carpenter who specialises in making and repairing the wooden boats, says the wooden boats have been helping locals, but they have proven to be catastrophic.

“Ukitengeneza boat unaanzia na mbao na mabati ambayo ni plain sheet na ordinary misumari. Changamoto yake ni kama hujapata mbao haijakomaa, haiwezi kaa muda mrefu. Ukipata ile mbao imekomaa itakaa kama miaka tatu ama nne unaanza kufanya repair,” Omondi says.

Kenya Shipyards Limited, the state corporation under the Ministry of Defence, has introduced the Glass-Reinforced Plastic boat, a modern, life-saving vessel designed and built by Kenyan marine engineers. 

This is good news for the country’s blue economy ambitions as Kenya joins the rest of the world in celebrating the World Maritime Day on 24th September 2026.

Unlike traditional wooden boats, the GRP boat is built with an auto-recovery feature that helps it remain afloat even in rough waters. It is lighter, stronger, fuel-efficient and designed to withstand the demanding conditions of East Africa’s waterways.

The boats are also fitted with life-saving appliances including life jackets and emergency safety equipment giving fishermen a safer future on the lake. Already embraced by Kenya’s key maritime players, the innovation is emerging as a powerful African solution to an African challenge.

Suzan Odhiambo, Director Fisheries and Blue Economy in Kisumu County, says the county government is working closely with KSL to make as many boats as possible for the fishermen on Lake Victoria.

“We are still doing the sensitisation and making the fishermen buy into the idea of the fibreglass boats. And for you to phase out the wooden boats it will require a policy issue, because you cannot just phase it out. You have to do some study and documentation. But we want them to phase it out willingly so that as they purchase they reduce the number of wooden boats. So with time the wooden boats will be a thing of the past,” she says.

From saving lives to improving the quality of fishing and protecting marine ecosystems, Kenya Shipyards Limited’s timber-to-technology innovation is steering East Africa towards a safer and more sustainable blue economy.

“Demand for shipyards is high. With the capacity KSL has, the initial idea was to serve the Kenya Navy. and Kenya Navy can only consume up to 30%, the other bit that is 70% is up for commercial use. Even Kenya will not consume that. We are already venturing out, we were in Zanzibar last week and the demand is huge. We are getting inquiries for yard services,” Omol added.

‘From Policy to Practice: Powering Maritime Excellence’ which is the theme for this year’s World Maritime Day, Kenya’s marine engineers are proving that innovation can save lives.