President William Ruto visited the Port of Mombasa on Sunday morning, where he toured the luxury cruise liner Norwegian Dawn.
He joined the Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) in celebrating the ship’s arrival from Seychelles, carrying 2,220 tourists and 1,100 crew members.
The Norwegian Dawn is the first cruise vessel of the year to dock in Mombasa.
The 294-meter-long vessel brought passengers from 54 nationalities to the Kenyan coast for excursions, offering them the opportunity to explore the region’s pristine white sandy beaches and national parks.
"I am proud to welcome visitors as we establish Kenya as a destination for tourism, I am told 800 of our guests have already left for Amboseli and the city tour and it speaks what tourism is doing to our country,'' Ruto said.
"Cruise ships were at an all-time high a few years ago, we did experience a slowdown but last year we had 6500 visitors and this year we expect that number to rise as we expect another eight cruise ships to dock.''
Kenya Ports Authority Managing Director Captain William Ruto piloted the vessel to Berth No. 1 and welcomed its arrival, reaffirming KPA’s commitment to supporting cruise tourism in the country.
The Norwegian Dawn’s maiden call to Mombasa follows the recent docking of the cargo vessel MV KMTC Hochiminh at the port on its inaugural voyage.
In December 2024, the port also welcomed MV Bollete, a cruise liner carrying over 900 passengers. Captain Ruto confirmed that another cruise ship is expected to arrive next month.
During his tour, President Ruto interacted with tourists on board, shaking hands and taking selfies with them.
He was accompanied by Mombasa Governor Abdulswamad Nassir, KPA Managing Director William Ruto and Tourism Cabinet Secretary Rebecca Miano.
The more than 2,000 passengers who disembarked on Sunday morning will enjoy a series of exciting excursions along the Kenyan coast, exploring the country’s stunning beaches and wildlife parks.
Captain Ruto emphasized KPA’s dedication to enhancing cruise tourism through strategic infrastructure investments, positioning the Port of Mombasa as a key hub for international cruise travellers.
“This is just the beginning—we expect more vessels to call at the Port of Mombasa. I want to assure all cruise lines that the port is safe and ready to receive more visitors,” he said.
Chairman Benjamin Tayari welcomed the call noting the visit is an affirmation of Kenya as a tourism hub in Africa.
Miano said the number of tourists who docked on Sunday is the highest Kenya has received at once over the last 10 years.
"We are happy that cruise tourism is picking and Kenya is emerging as the favourite destination of cruise ships,''' said Miano.
