The European Commission has unveiled high level training curriculum for agencies involved in the fight against organised crime money laundering and terrorism financing in Africa .
The initiative , geared towards ensuring that Kenya leads the fight against the vices as a key focal point in economic activity and soft target for transnational crime such as drug trafficking, gun running ,trade in wildlife trophies and other vices that aid money laundering . Last week,the first cohort graduated at the Sweden High Commission Resident . It was presided over by the Deputy Head of Mission, Ms. Sofie Hillbom. The event marked the completion of a year-long International Capability Building Program (ICBP) implemented in Kenya through the Swedish Tax Agency (STA). The program forms part of the SecFin Africa Project and the Collaborative Africa Budget Reform Initiative (CABRI), which support Sub-Saharan African countries in aligning their anti-money laundering (AML) and counter-financing of terrorism (CFT) frameworks with international standards.
The graduands were drawn from the EACC, the Anti-terrorism unit, the Financial Reporting Center (FRC), Kenya Wildlife Services (KWS), Banking Fraud unit of the Central Bank and members of the Intelligence Community from various agencies in Kenya
BELOW : The EC facilitated investigators are all smiles during the graduation event…EACC’s Acting Assistant Director for Unexplained Wealth, Ms. Catherine Ngari was among the Inaugural team officers…
The graduation ceremony was held on November 26, 2025, at the residence of the Swedish Ambassador to Kenya.
The European Commission has unveiled high level training curriculum for agencies involved in the fight against organised crime money laundering and terrorism financing.
The initiative is geared towards ensuring that Kenya leads the fight against the vices as a key focal point in economic activity and soft target for transnational crime such as drug trafficking, gun running ,trade in wildlife trophies and other vices that aid money laundering.
Two months ago , President Ruto signed an ammendment to the AML Law to tighten the noose on the vice and send a strong signal of the government’s resolve to tame illicit trade.
The EC initiative targets multi agency teams , commercial banks and other players exposed to money laundering.
Ms. Ngari was among a select group of Kenyan officials drawn from key institutions, including the EACC, the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP), the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA), the Financial Reporting Centre (FRC), and the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI). Throughout the year, participants worked closely with professional coaches from STA to identify challenges related to illicit financial flows and co-create innovative, locally-driven solutions.
During the ceremony, graduates presented their findings and recommendations, which emphasized the need for comprehensive capacity building across the full value chain of detecting, investigating, and prosecuting money laundering cases. They further highlighted the importance of improving turnaround times, increasing conviction rates, enhancing asset recovery, and strengthening inter-agency collaboration in the fight against illicit financial flows.
The Commission was represented at the ceremony by Mr. George Ojowi, Deputy Director of Asset Tracing, who attended on behalf of the CEO.
The SecFin Africa Project continues to advance financial integrity and accountability across the region by promoting effective AML and CFT practices consistent with global standards.
By James Kisoo
