Revealed: Kenya’s biggest cross-border security threat

Kenyan authorities have singled out forgery of travel documents as the country’s biggest cross-border security concern.

In the past year, fake passports and identification documents accounted for 40 percent of the crimes detected at the border points in Suam, Malaba and Busia, a threat that the government has set about to reign in with finality.

According to Interior Principal Secretary Raymond Omollo, the cases were recorded from June 2022 to June 2023 alone.

He said that more measures have been put in place to protect Kenya’s reputation and defend the integrity of its immigration policies.

Speaking at the Lwakhakha Port of Entry and Exit, Dr Omollo stated that law enforcement agencies are under strict instructions to enforce the existing laws and policies, adding that more support will be dedicated to the multi-agency teams working at the border facilities to effectively flag out such cases in the best interest of the country.

“It is in my interest and that of all of us that our points of entry and exit must work, and we must sustain and support the multi-agency approach to operations at the border point,” the PS noted after assessing the facility.

Drug trafficking has also been flagged as a major threat across the country’s borders, with seizures of narcotics accounting for about 21 percent of the criminal cases recorded during the same period.

Officials have so far nabbed different packages of heroin, cannabis and cocaine destined for different parts of the region and beyond.

The PS directed officials deployed in the areas to step up their vigilance and inspection to bring down the cases to near zero.

He said, “The individuals and various agencies who need to do specific tasks in this regard must be able to do their bit.”

Counterfeits and contraband, including sugar, maize, alcohol, ethanol and pharmaceutical drugs, represented 15 percent of confiscations made by border control authorities, with 12 wanted criminals captured within that period.

Omollo further reiterated the government’s commitment to facilitating smooth and secure movement of people and goods across Kenya’s borders in an effort to open more opportunities for legitimate economic activities for people in the East African region.

“We should be having flawless movement. In the next two months, what we’ll be expecting is an update and we’ll be doing a follow-up,” the PS stated.

On Tuesday, Omollo led a government delegation on a similar assessment tour of the One Stop Border Post in Suam, whose construction is at 86 percent completion rate.