Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki has called for transboundary collaboration within the African region to tackle emerging and transnational organized crime, particularly in the face of escalating security threats.
He singled out terrorism, human trafficking, the trade in narcotics, and cyber crime trafficking as some of the major threats affecting the region.
Kindiki said Monday that the region faces shared security threats and requires common responses.
“We do share common threats, and for that reason, we must generate common responses to those threats,” Kindiki said.
The Interior CS made the appeal when he presided over the closing ceremony of a two-day Regional Conference of Security and Intelligence Chiefs from 15 Greater Eastern Africa Countries at Whitesands Hotel, Mombasa.
The Mashariki Cooperation Conference brought together Intelligence and Security Chiefs from Kenya, Burundi, Comoros, DRC, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda, Somalia, South Sudan, Seychelles, Tanzania and Uganda.
Kindiki further emphasized the need for security agencies and actor actors in the justice sector to work together with the common goal of achieving security.
“Going forward, in a dangerous and complicated world and region, multi-agency approach is the approach of the future, where institutions and organs of national Security can share in their strengths, in their diversities, with each agency bringing in their peculiar input, resources and experiences to achieve the shared goal of achieving our national Security,” he said.
He further called for timely exchange of intelligence among the regional partners to achieve a collective defence strategy.
Kindiki noted that intelligence sharing will enable all countries to stay ahead of evolving threats and facilitate what he described as “a proactive rather than reactive response.”
Through this collaboration, Kindiki said that countries will be able to unlock the full potential of shared resources enabling more informed decision making and strengthening their capacity to address both current and emerging challenges.
