Attorney General Githu Muigai calls for cooperation in fighting international crimes

Attorney General Githu Muigai told a session of the Commission of Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice that is ongoing in Vienna, Switzerland he is concerned with increased incidents of terrorism.

He said Kenya placed significant importance in the exchange of legal instruments such as mutual legal assistance, extradition, technical assistance and sharing of best practices as critical aspects of international cooperation in combating terrorism, corruption, and other transnational organized crimes.

“I must emphasize the importance of timely exchange of information, intelligence and relevant data on terrorism, corruption, transnational organized crime such as trafficking in persons, smuggling of migrants, drug trafficking and emerging crimes as constituting the basis of crime prevention,” he said on Monday.

He added that Kenya remains committed to utilizing international instruments to combat terrorism and ensure crime prevention and criminal justice adding they are already enshrined in legislation which incorporate international conventions against corruption and transnational organized crime.

”As a country we are also committed in establishing and strengthening of our institutions to combat these crimes.”

He added the process of training and capacity building of criminal justice practitioners in the country is ongoing with a view to effectively address crime and ensuring the perpetrators are brought to justice.

Currently, he added, Kenya is enforcing anti-money laundering laws and countering the financing of terrorism and taken steps to regulate all financial institutions and banks to avert money laundering regimes and stop financial support to terrorists.

Prof. Muigai said Kenya is further committed to significantly reduce illicit financial and arms flows, strengthen the recovery and return of stolen assets and combat all forms of organized crime through establishment of the Assets Recovery Agency.

Kenya further looks forward to the review of Global Counter Terrorism Strategy to take into account the challenges of terrorism.

During the country’s submission at the start of the one week conference, Kenya made an appeal towards the strengthening of prison rehabilitation programs observing that prisons should not be used as incubators of violent extremism but ought to be places for rehabilitation.

Prof. Muigai said prisons in many parts of the world provided a safe haven for terrorists to network, train, recruit and radicalize new members as well as direct terrorist attacks out of prisons.

He observed that convicted terrorists ought to be punished in line with international practice of efficient criminal justice response to terrorism. Kenya has been an active member of the Global Counter Terrorism Forum’s (GCTF), which call for good effective counter-terrorism practice in the Criminal Justice Sector.

Kenya urged UN member states to step up efforts to improve border and customs controls in order to prevent movement of foreign terrorist fighters while detecting and preventing illicit trafficking.

The country has called for the modernization of border management systems, facilities and institutions noting that porous borders continue to expose countries to terrorism and other forms of transnational organized crimes which remain a constant threat to national and international security.

He emphasized the need to develop tailor-made assistance and capacity-building programs with member states that would take in consideration emerging threats to national and international security such as radicalization of the youth, rehabilitation and re-integration of violent extremists, foreign terrorist fighters and kidnapping for ransom.

The 25th Session of the United Nations Commission on Crime is expected to discuss the concerns of criminal justice to prevent and counter terrorism in all its forms and manifestations; these are issues that are dominating global security agenda.