Kenya has stepped up efforts to secure its removal from the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) grey list, with top law enforcement and financial crime agencies reviewing outstanding reforms needed to strengthen the country’s anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing regime.
Director of Public Prosecutions Renson Ingonga chaired a high-level meeting of security, financial intelligence and anti-corruption agencies to assess Kenya’s progress ahead of the next stage of the country’s engagement with the global financial crime watchdog.
The meeting considered preliminary comments from the Africa Joint Group on Kenya’s Progress Report, with officials identifying areas requiring further action to ensure the country meets outstanding requirements under the FATF process.
Ingonga brought together key principals from agencies involved in investigating financial crimes, recovering illicit assets, fighting corruption and disrupting terrorism financing.
Those attending included Financial Reporting Centre Director General Naphtaly Rono, Director of Criminal Investigations Mohamed Amin, Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission Chief Executive Officer Abdi Mohamud, Acting Assets Recovery Agency Director General Mark Ogonji and a representative of the Kenya Revenue Authority.
The officials stressed that Kenya’s exit from the grey list will require sustained cooperation across the criminal justice and financial sectors.
They reviewed preliminary observations on Kenya’s progress and discussed measures required to close remaining gaps, while seeking to align interventions ahead of the next stages of the international assessment.
The agencies committed to strengthening investigations, prosecutions, asset recovery and financial intelligence, alongside other measures aimed at disrupting illicit financial flows and terrorism financing.
The meeting also underscored the need for agencies to share information more effectively and coordinate their operations to demonstrate sustained effectiveness in combating financial crime.
Officials said the country had made progress in strengthening its anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing framework but acknowledged the need to address identified weaknesses within the required timelines.
Kenya’s removal from the FATF grey list was described as a shared national priority, with the principals pledging closer collaboration and coordinated action to achieve the objective.
The officials expressed confidence that continued implementation of reforms and stronger multi-agency cooperation would enable Kenya to resolve the outstanding issues and demonstrate compliance with international standards.
The latest engagement comes as the country intensifies efforts to improve its ability to detect, investigate and prosecute financial crimes, recover proceeds of crime and disrupt illicit financial networks.
The FATF grey-listing has placed increased scrutiny on Kenya’s financial crime controls, making effective implementation of reforms critical to restoring full confidence in the country’s financial system and international financial relationships.
Kenya’s law enforcement and financial sector agencies are now expected to build on the progress already made as the country moves towards the next phase of the international assessment process.
By Joseph Ng’ang’a
