Kenya signs FRACCK agreement with Jersey

The Government of Kenya has welcomed the visit of the Minister for External Relations of Jersey, Senator Ian Gorst. Senator Gorst’s visit to Kenya is the culmination of consultations undertaken over several years to develop a series of agreements to enhance Kenya’s relationship with Jersey.

Senator Gorst together with Attorney General Kihara Kariuki and Cabinet Secretary for the National Treasury Henry Rotich have signed two distinct agreements.

The first agreement was the Memorandum of Understanding on Financial Cooperation. The Government of Kenya and the Government of Jersey considered the potential for cooperation in the financial sector and to this end have signed the Memorandum of Understanding to explore possible cooperation areas in the sector.

The second agreement that was signed was the Framework for Return of Assets from Corruption and Crime in Kenya (FRACCK). The FRACCK is a framework agreement between the Governments of Kenya, the United Kingdom, Switzerland and Jersey for the return to Kenya of assets that were acquired using proceeds of corruption and crime, and which are hosted abroad.

The recovered assets will be used to undertake identified development programmes in Kenya, which programmes will be agreed upon and overseen by a steering committee comprising representatives from the participating countries. The specific projects will be in line with the Government of Kenya’s priorities.

The Government of Kenya reiterated its commitment to the principles of the FRACCK, whose design was expected to reinforce the message that corruption does not pay. The signing of the agreement by the Government of Jersey has in effect brought the FRACCK agreement into effect, with the Governments of Kenya, the United Kingdom and Switzerland having already signed a similar one earlier this year.