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Kenya signs deal with UK to boost border security
The Kenya-Somalia border in Mandera.
Kenya has signed a border security pact with the United Kingdom, signalling a renewed push to confront long-standing insecurity along its vast and porous borders.
The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), signed through the Ministry of Interior and National Administration, is aimed at strengthening cooperation on border security, countering cross-border threats and enhancing stability in Kenya’s borderlands.
The agreement also seeks to protect communities from transnational organised crime, including human trafficking and migrant smuggling, while reinforcing national and regional security.
Speaking during the signing ceremony, the Principal Secretary for Internal Security and National Administration, Raymond Omollo, said the MoU represents a crucial step in promoting peace, stability and socio-economic development in border areas.
"This MoU will promote development along Kenya’s borderlands and its environs, through a holistic approach that integrates law enforcement with community engagement and peace initiatives... lasting security cannot be achieved through enforcement alone," he said.
Interior Principal Secretary Raymond Omollo in Mombasa on October 30, 2025.
For Kenya, the timing of the pact is critical. Border regions, particularly along the Kenya–Somalia and Kenya–Ethiopia frontiers, continue to face complex and evolving threats ranging from terrorism to trafficking in persons and organised criminal networks.
These challenges have long undermined local development, disrupted livelihoods and exposed vulnerable populations to exploitation.
The MoU also builds on existing border stabilisation efforts, including the Deris Wanaag initiative and the Land Border Programme. By strengthening early warning systems, intelligence sharing and coordinated responses, the cooperation is expected to enhance Kenya’s capacity to prevent, detect and respond to cross-border threats more effectively.
It further provides a framework for coordinated interventions to protect citizens and communities from irregular migration, smuggling and trafficking.
In its initial phase, the programme will prioritise support to selected border counties—Turkana, Mandera, Marsabit, Wajir and Busia—with room for expansion to other areas as necessary. These counties sit at critical transit points and have historically been vulnerable to insecurity due to their remoteness, porous borders and limited state presence.
Beyond immediate security concerns, the agreement is expected to improve evidence-based understanding of mixed migration, organised crime and protection risks. This will help inform policy and operational responses while strengthening the capacity of local security committees and border control agencies.
The structured involvement of community leadership is particularly significant, as it helps anchor security interventions in local realities and builds trust between communities and the State.
The United Kingdom has described the MoU as a landmark agreement that strengthens its Strategic Partnership with Kenya.
UK Deputy High Commissioner and Development Director, Diana Dalton, said the cooperation would see both countries working together to tackle crime along the borders of Kenya and enhance security and stability in the region.
“The UK is proud to enhance our Strategic Partnership with Kenya. Our renewed commitment to cooperation on border security will see us working together to tackle organised crime and prevent the exploitation of vulnerable people by unscrupulous and exploitative human traffickers," she said.
The border security pact builds on long-standing bilateral relations and follows the July 2025 official visit by President William Ruto to the UK, during which the two countries agreed to renew and deepen their Strategic Partnership for another five years.
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