As candidates for the top posting at the IMO must be submitted by the end of March 2023, speculations arise on who will be the next Secretary-General of the organization, with Kenya’s nominee Nancy Karigithu being a major participant in the race.
Last December, the IMO started the process to elect a successor to Kitack Lim as Secretary-General. The electoral process will appoint a new leader at shipping regulator in 2024. Among other suggestions, the Center for Ocean Policy and Economics (COPE°), has openly endorsed Nancy Karigithu.
Nancy Karigithu has been involved in numerous positions, projects and research to improve the shipping industry. Karigithu has served three terms as Chair of the IMO Technical Cooperation Committee. Now, she is expected by many to be elected as the first-ever female secretary-general of the International Marine Organization.
During her 35-year-carrer in shipping, she has taken part in improving diversity in shipping. For instance, she was involved in the setting up and launch of the Association of Women in the Maritime Sector in Eastern & Southern Africa (WOMESA) where she served for two terms as a Chairperson and now sits on the governing council.
As the Principal Secretary and Special Envoy for Maritime and Blue Economy in Kenya’s State Department for Shipping and Maritime, she has been a senior delegate of the Kenyan government to IMO meetings for over eighteen years and has been instrumental in the implementation of IMO programs both in Kenya and throughout the African region.
Mrs. Karigithu is a frequent speaker at international conferences and seminars on maritime transportation, safety and security, and the strengthening of maritime administrations, which has earned her a well known and well respected name.