- Kithure said among the areas of priority are counter-terrorism, organized crime, trafficking in narcotics, human trafficking and cyber-crime.
- He spoke on Wednesday when he hosted US Ambassador Meg Whitman at his Harambee House office.
Image: MINISTRY OF INTERIOR
Interior CS Kithure Kindiki has said the government is committed to reforming the security sector through technology and training.
This will help to effectively tackle modern-day security challenges.
Kithure said among the areas of priority are counter-terrorism, organized crime, trafficking in narcotics, human trafficking and cyber-crime.
He spoke on Wednesday when he hosted US Ambassador Meg Whitman at his Harambee House office.
Kindiki and Whitman lauded the long-standing cooperation between Kenya and US, which has yielded results in counter-terrorism efforts, tackling organized crime, enhancing border control and support for the Kenya Coast Guard.
"The US is one of the greatest allies of Kenya in security affairs and we want to further enhance this under the Kenya-US Strategic Dialogue," Kindiki said.
The leaders deliberated on renewed cooperation between the two nations in areas such as e-Government services, peacebuilding, the proliferation of small arms, border security and general regional security.
In attendance were Interior PS Raymond Omollo, Citizen Services PS Julius Bitok, Correctional Services PS Mary Muthoni and other top officials in the Ministry of Interior and National Administration.
They evaluated the bilateral strategic partnership between the two nations which has pillars including economic prosperity, trade and investment, defence cooperation, democracy, governance and civilian security, multilateral and regional issues, and health cooperation.
"There are only four countries in the world with a Strategic Security Dialogue with the United States, and Kenya is one of them,' Whitman said.
A conference on the Kenya-US strategic dialogue review is scheduled for April 24 in Washington DC.
Image: MINISTRY OF INTERIOR
Kindiki reiterated the government's commitment to ensuring reforms in the country’s security sector.
This is by implementing recommendations of the national task force on the improvement of the terms and conditions of service and other reforms for members of the NPS and the Kenya Prisons Service.
While outlining the government's commitment to modernising the police equipment under the Security Equipment Modernization Programme, the CS said that the Ministry remains committed to building the officers' leadership capacity and reforming the organizational culture of the security agencies, including correctional services.
On her part, Whitman reiterated the role of the US in supporting food security, security and drought mitigation efforts.
Appreciating Kenya's deployment of technology in governance, the envoy said the US will continue partnering with Kenya in the use of technology to deal with emerging crime and to enhance service delivery.
She lauded efforts by the Kenyan government in the last three months to onboard over 5,000 services on the eCitizen platform up from 300 and pledged to work closely with the Kenyan Government in cyber security strategies to help Kenya secure the e-platforms from technological risks.
Whitman was accompanied by Deputy Chief of Mission at the US Embassy in Nairobi Marc Dillard, the Embassy's Director for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs Kevan Higgins among other top embassy officials.