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]
08:17 1
