This archive report was first published on 24 July 2019.
July 24, 2019
Kenya's security and investigative agencies have been collaborating with their foreign counterparts to combat graft and cross-border crime. This collaboration has been gaining momentum, with agencies such as the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) and the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) reaching out to international partners like the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) for assistance.
Some critics have argued that Kenya can do away with its own investigative agencies and contract the services of the FBI on a full-time basis. However, this argument overlooks the importance of local investigators and the need for effective communication between law enforcers and the public.
A meeting between senior officials of the EACC and the US ambassador to Kenya, Kyle McCarter, has shed light on the importance of international collaboration in the fight against corruption. The meeting resulted in an agreement between the EACC and the FBI to work together to investigate and bring to book high-profile corruption architects.
The US ambassador cited several reasons for this collaboration, including Kenya's lack of adequate resources, the fact that most thieves hide their loot abroad, and the international connivance of cartels in the corruption industry. The meeting also highlighted the need for sharing intelligence and strengthening the relationship between Kenya's anti-corruption body and the US sleuth agency.
Kenya's law enforcers have also engaged with other international partners, including the United Kingdom and Switzerland, to recover ill-acquired wealth hidden in those territories. The country has signed agreements with these countries to have a structured way of recovering such wealth.
While there have been criticisms of the government's efforts to combat corruption, the recent bust of a corruption syndicate involving senior government officials such as Treasury Cabinet Secretary Henry Rotich and his Principal Secretary Kamau Thugge gives hope that there is the will and ability to fight corruption.
It is now clear that collaboration with foreign agencies and governments actually pays. The globe-trotting by officials such as DCI George Kinoti and Director of Public Prosecutions Noordin Haji to Dubai, South Africa, and Italy has resulted in significant breakthroughs in the fight against corruption.
