During the inaugural National Border Management Conference, Interior PS Raymond Omollo said Kenya has long underscored the importance of effective border management in enhancing trade, ensuring national security, and promoting regional integration. https://shorturl.at/hmsxD
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00:00 Now, it's with great pleasure and profound honor that I want to welcome you all to this
00:06 inaugural National Border Management Conference.
00:10 And as we gather here today, we want to embark on a journey of collaboration, integration,
00:16 and solidarity in the realm of border management.
00:20 I want to extend my heartfelt gratitude to each one of you for gracing this occasion
00:25 and that with your presence and also with an unwavering commitment to help and support
00:35 us secure our borders.
00:38 Cabinet Secretary, ladies and gentlemen, the theme of this conference, as you've all heard,
00:44 is on building on coordination and moving towards integration.
00:50 And it serves as a beacon guiding our collective efforts towards a safer and more prosperous
00:56 future.
00:59 It encapsulates the essence of our shared vision, which is Mipaka Zabiti Kwa Ustawi,
01:06 which is a vision of seamless, coordinated border management systems that transcend boundaries,
01:12 that foster integration and provide a firm footing for legitimate trade and movement
01:18 of both people and goods in all ports of entry and exit.
01:23 Indeed, we are in an effort to secure our borders and to facilitate legitimate trade
01:29 and travel, not to restrain it.
01:33 And Madam Sharon has put it in a way that I cannot overemphasize, that we must be able
01:40 to strike a balance between facilitating trade and movement, but also making sure that we
01:48 do it in a secure manner.
01:52 As we delve into the proceedings of this conference, our foremost aim is to forge stronger bonds
01:56 of cooperation among the diverse array of stakeholders involved in border management.
02:03 From the various state departments, the State Department for Immigration, the State Department
02:08 for ESE, Health, Shipping and Maritime, to agencies, including the National Police Service,
02:15 the National Intelligence Service, the National Counterterrorism Center, the Kenya Coast Guard,
02:21 Kenya Airports Authority, Kenya Ports Authority, the Kenya Maritime Authority, the Kenya Riven
02:27 Authority, Anti-Counterfeit Authority, the Kenya Bureau of Standards, and all the other
02:33 relevant ministries, departments, and agencies.
02:37 I want to reaffirm that each of you play a pivotal role in safeguarding our borders and
02:45 upholding the rule of law.
02:48 And by fostering a culture of collaboration and synergy, we can amplify our collective
02:53 impact and mitigate the many challenges that confront us.
03:00 CS, allow me to highlight some of our most significant achievements since embracing this
03:06 multi-agency approach at our ports of entry and exit.
03:11 First is that we've been able to establish better and coordinated approach to data collection
03:16 and analysis.
03:17 This has translated to improved capacity and effectiveness in our individual and joint
03:22 operations.
03:23 Two is that through the enhanced sharing of information and resources among the various
03:29 law enforcement agencies, it is now easier to identify and respond to threats that are
03:36 of hybrid nature, including cross-border and transnational organized crime.
03:41 And in this regard, we are progressively reducing the use of foreign travel documents, illegal
03:46 migration, human trafficking, smuggling of weapons, trafficking of narcotics, and money
03:55 laundering, among other crimes.
03:57 Third is that we have significantly improved clearance of persons at our points of entry
04:03 and exit and also increased the volume of trade, which is thanks to the smooth movement
04:09 of people.
04:10 We have also introduced the visa-free regime, and we are progressively working to address
04:20 the bottlenecks that has been occasioned by that process.
04:24 But to a larger extent, this is a major, major success that we are experiencing as a country
04:32 and of course for the region.
04:33 The landscape is constantly evolving, and we must work jointly in the establishment
04:46 and implementation of a robust entry and exit system.
04:50 Central to our discussions for the next three days is the fact that we are working on the
04:55 enabling as well as those hindering effective coordination amongst the key stakeholders.
05:02 Now Kenya has witnessed remarkable strides in border security and management through
05:08 investment in advanced technology to detect threats more swiftly.
05:12 We are training our frontline border officers through a recently introduced curriculum,
05:20 which is known as the Kenya Coordinated Border Management Program.
05:24 Then regionally, integration to harmonize border control policies, and I'm happy that
05:29 today our peers in charge of ESE and our colleague from Tanzania in charge of trade are all here
05:40 and they are progressively engaging within that framework to ensure that the ESE actually
05:47 works for the good of all its citizens.
05:51 Now we cannot, of course, afford to be comfortable as transitional crime, terrorism and other
05:58 illicit activities do not know borders and boundaries, and they thrive on the absence
06:03 of cooperation, exploiting the vulnerabilities.
06:06 We need to perceive our points of entry and exit systems through a security lens.
06:19 Let us therefore seize this conference to exchange ideas, and I hope that through a
06:27 shared sense of purpose we can overcome this challenge.
06:41 I want to express my sincere appreciation and gratitude to our partners, starting with
06:50 the IOM, based on what we've been able to do together with the Border Management Secretariat.
07:01 It dates back to years before some of us took the offices that we currently are in, and
07:09 we are looking forward to even better coordination and cooperation and sharing best practices.
07:16 It's just to mention that Kenya has become a case study in border management, and we've
07:22 had delegations from across the world coming to see what we've been able to do.
07:29 Let me also extend my heartfelt gratitude to you, the CS, for the leadership and also
07:39 always offering guidance whenever we need to make decisions, and the support that you
07:45 continue to give us as the PSS who work under you to discharge our responsibilities.
07:53 Now to the participants, your presence here today is a testament to our shared dedication
07:58 to upholding the principles of security, stability, and prosperity.
08:06 With those many remarks, I want to again welcome all of you to this conference, and looking
08:13 forward to very good deliberations in the next three days.
08:16 Thank you.
08:17 [END]
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