Kenya and the United Kingdom have launched a regional programme aimed at strengthening airport border security, disrupting migrant smuggling networks, and enhancing cooperation among border management agencies in Kenya, Ethiopia, and Somalia.
The Regional Counter-Smuggling Programme (RCSP), implemented by the International Organization for Migration (IOM), with support from the United Kingdom Home Office Border Security Command, seeks to enhance border security, improve inter-agency collaboration, and protect vulnerable migrants through intelligence-led migration management.
Principal Secretary (PS), State Department for Immigration and Citizen Services, Dr. Belio Kipsang, said the programme would reinforce border control and immigration measures by standardizing operational procedures across the three countries to ensure coordinated responses to migrant smuggling.
In a speech read on his behalf by the Director of Immigration Services, Jane Nyandoro, Dr. Kipsang said the initiative would focus on enhancing enforcement efforts by strengthening border control and immigration systems while adopting a protection-sensitive approach that safeguards victims of trafficking and addresses gender considerations.
He said implementation would focus on strengthening airport capacity, combating transnational organized crime, and advancing rights-based border management initiatives through technical assessments, infrastructure upgrades, specialized training, and deployment of intelligence and detection technologies.
The Principal Secretary said the programme would support operations at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA), Moi International Airport, Kisumu International Airport, Eldoret International Airport, and Malindi Airport, strengthening national and regional capabilities to detect and deter migrant smuggling while protecting the rights and dignity of migrants.
He called for closer collaboration among the Directorate of Immigration Services, Directorate of Criminal Investigations, Transnational Organised Crime Unit, Counter Trafficking in Persons Secretariat, Border Management Secretariat, Kenya Airports Authority, and other stakeholders to ensure successful implementation of the programme.
International Organization for Migration Regional Coordinator for East and the Horn of Africa, Mr. Luis Pi Núñez, said the three-year programme, which runs from June 2026 to March 2029, will strengthen airport border management capacities across 13 airports in Kenya, Ethiopia, and Somalia.
He said the programme will improve infrastructure, equipment, and human resource capacity while enhancing information sharing, inter-agency cooperation, and regional coordination among border management authorities.
International Organization for Migration Kenya Acting Chief of Mission, Mr. Sharif Faisal, said Kenya’s position as a country of origin, destination, and transit for migrants makes effective migration governance and secure border management essential.
Faisal said the programme would strengthen equipment and build the capacity of immigration officers at Kenya’s international airports while promoting a whole-of-government and regional approach to addressing migrant smuggling and trafficking in persons.
He reaffirmed IOM’s commitment to working with the Government of Kenya, the United Kingdom Government and regional partners to promote secure, orderly and humane migration systems that facilitate legitimate travel while strengthening regional security.
By Sharon Njeru and Zipporah Odionyi
