Andrew Mwangura is an unlikely hero. The timid 47-year-old Kenyan has been called the 'pirate whisperer ' and he maintains excellent contact both with pirates and seamen held hostage off the Somali coast. He has made some powerful enemies in his fight against mafia practices at sea and in Kenya.

Thanks to the extensive network he built up during his years as a seaman, he is better informed of what is playing out on the Indian Ocean than the crews of the numerous naval ships sent to fight piracy; he is often the first to report the news that a ship has been hijacked or released.

A Hollywood film is being made about his life, with Samuel L. Jackson playing the lead. “They wanted to murder me. But I am following my calling,” Mwangura said in the Kenyan port city of Mombasa. “Maybe the big screen can help in that.”

Gangsters

Mwangura established the East African Seafarers’ Assistance Program in Mombasa that reports daily on the many hijackings off the coast of Somalia. More than 22,000 ships navigate the Gulf of Aden each year and half of all cargo from East to West traverses the Indian Ocean.

For centuries Africa has been using this sea route as a connection to the outside world. The monsoon winds brought Arab and Persian traders in their sailing ships over these seas. A few hundred Somali gangsters - Mwangura refuses to call them pirates – now threaten this area.

“All conflicts in Africa have some connection with the sea,” Mwangura said in a soft voice. The weapons and drug trade, the dumping of chemical waste, the transport of illegally mined resources and clandestine fishing take place on these waters, which are subject to hardly any control. “Only the ship owners know what they transport, the crew is kept in the dark about the cargo."

Dirty business as leverage

Mwangura said the reason behind the hijackings is the “piracy” by foreign ships, which have been fishing in Somali waters for years without paying. “The navy ships sent out there do nothing about it. Just last month the South Korean navy protected two illegal South Korean fishing boats off Somalia.”

Suspicious activities are taking place at sea. Some ships are sailing under cheaper flags and have something to hide. "Many hijacked ships are involved in dirty business. Somali gangsters know that and use it as negotiating leverage."

Mwangura poses difficult questions about liberation actions by the navy ships. With regard to the Dutch ship the Marathon hijacked in May for instance, Mwangura had reliable information about the drowning of one pirate and the death of a Ukrainian crew member. The Dutch ministry of defence stated it knew nothing about that, but when the Marathon was released last month Mwangura was proven right. “What does the ship owner or the Dutch navy want to keep quiet?" he wondered.

Released him without charges

According to Mwangura the pirates work together with Somali warlords. It often turns out that they have been trained by Western security companies hired by warlords in the capital of Mogadishu or the semi-autonomous Puntland region. “Think twice about the training of Somali militia fighters for the protection of the coastal waters, like the West is propagating. It could have an adverse effect.”

The hijackings are big business; last year between 120 and 150 million dollars was paid in ransom and divided up among hijackers, their sponsors and negotiators. "Ninety percent of the ransom is paid via Kenya," said Mwangura, “Kenya is now the axis of the conflict.” Unconfirmed reports talk of investments in Kenyan real estate by businessmen involved in and connected with piracy.

The pirate whisperer has criticised the Kenyan involvement. “That almost cost me my life,” he said. When the Ukrainian ship the Faina was hijacked last year, Mwangura reported that the cargo - 33 tanks – was headed for Southern Sudan, contrary to the official version that the final destination was the Kenyan military. The police subsequently arrested him for illegal possession of marijuana. "Absurd, since I don't smoke or drink," Mwangura said, laughing shyly.

After nine days the authorities released him without any charges. He went into hiding out of fear for an attack on his life. Even the makers of the Hollywood film could not reach him. Now he is back on the scene, looking around nervously, but still convinced of his cause. “They tried to shut me up. They failed."