The Kenyan government, through the Ministry of Interior, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Government of the United Kingdom on the collaborative implementation of border security cooperation.
The agreement will strengthen joint efforts to counter cross-border threats, enhance stability in Kenya’s borderlands, and protect communities from transnational organized crime, including human trafficking and migrant smuggling.
Speaking during the signing ceremony, the Principal Secretary for Internal Security and National Administration, Dr. Raymond Omollo, underscored that the MoU marks a crucial step in strengthening collective efforts to promote peace, stability, and socio-economic development along Kenya’s borderlands and its environs, through a holistic approach that integrates law enforcement with community engagement and peace initiatives.
The MoU responds to evolving and complex cross-border threats including terrorism, trafficking in persons, human smuggling, and transnational organized crime particularly along the Kenya-Somalia and Kenya-Ethiopia borderlands. It further builds on existing initiatives supporting stability in the borderlands, including Deris Wanaag and the Land Border Programme.
The UK Deputy High Commissioner and Development Director, Diana Dalton, noted: “The UK is proud to enhance our Strategic Partnership with Kenya through this landmark agreement on border security. 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. The UK and Kenya are partnering to bring greater security and stability to the region, keeping the people of both our nations safe.”
Implementation of the cooperation will be coordinated through Kenya’s national security architecture led by the Ministry of Interior and National Administration, with structured engagement of key partners. The programme will also support strengthened early warning and intelligence sharing, enhanced protective security response, and coordinated interventions to protect citizens and communities from irregular migration, smuggling, and trafficking.
As part of the initial phase, the programme will prioritise support to selected border counties Turkana, Mandera, Marsabit, Wajir, and Busia with consideration for expansion to other areas as may be necessary. The cooperation is expected to enhance evidence-based understanding of mixed migration, organized crime, and protection risks to inform policy and operational responses, while strengthening the capacity of local security committees and border control agencies in collaboration with community leadership.
Kenya and the United Kingdom share a long-standing partnership anchored in mutual security interests, regional stability, and people-to-people ties. The engagement builds on high-level bilateral relations, including the July 2025 official visit by President William Ruto to the UK, during which Kenya and the UK agreed to renew and deepen the Kenya-UK Strategic Partnership for a further five-year period.
