Conflicts in Ethiopia, Sudan, and South Sudan could trigger an influx of refugees, arms and drug trafficking, and cross-border crime, National Intelligence Service (NIS) Director General Noordin Haji said Thursday.
He said the conflicts need to be addressed amicably.
“These developments are straining our resources and complicating our efforts to promote integration and peace.
The instability of our neighbours directly impacts our own safety and prosperity,” said Haji.
Haji said corruption is one of the factors fuelling nearly every security challenge Kenya is facing, adding that if it is not tackled, it will weaken governance and allow criminal networks, terrorist organisations and foreign actors with bad intentions to flourish, manipulate policies and exploit national resources.
He also cited other security challenges, including climate change-driven resource conflicts.
“It is not just about stolen funds. It is the enablers of crime, food insecurity, environmental degradation, terrorism, cyber threats, and ecological vulnerabili-ties,” he said.
“We need to have partnerships between the government, private sector, civil society, and citizens to address modern security threats.”
Speaking at the inaugural public lecture held at the National Intelligence and Research University on March 27, Haji was categorical that his agency is committed to bridging the gap between intelligence institutions and the public, reinforcing trust, transparency, and collaboration in shaping Kenya’s evolving security land-scape.
The public lecture was aimed at fostering a whole-of-society approach to national security by opening up Kenya’s intelligence discourse to broader public engagement.
The event brought together a diverse audience including the media, aca-demia, the corporate sector, faith-based organisations, civil society, and nongovernmental organizations – all united by a shared interest in building a secure, informed, and cohesive nation.
“These developments are straining our resources and complicating our efforts to promote integration and peace. The instability of our neighbours directly impacts our own safety and prosperity,” he noted.
“No matter how well-in-tentioned our policies and strategies are, we do not tackle corruption capital. If we do not tackle corruption head-on, we will remain vulnerable.”
Violent extremism in Kenya, he added, is evolving, with radicalisation increasingly taking place in the digital space.
He noted that extremist groups like al Shabaab and ISIS are exploiting economic hardships, mental health struggles, and ideological vulnerabilities to recruit members.
“So you can imagine that, unlike other countries, we are just next door to a terrorist outfit that can easily raise Sh25.8 billion ($200 million) to create chaos in countries.
This is the reality we face,” he said.
Haji also explained al Shabaab mostly earns it money through illicit financial networks and unregulated cryptocurrency transactions.
“The threats are global, the effects are regional, but the consequences are deeply personal,” he said.
The expansion of terrorist networks in the Middle East, North Africa, and West Africa is a growing concern, he said.
“Public discussions on intelligence are not without precedence. Intelligence agencies worldwide engage in open dialogues to emphasise their role in national development, security, and diplomacy,” he said.
“Without integrity and accountability, we cannot secure our borders, protect our economy, or ensure food and environmental sustainability.”
Haji explained that NIS is addressing insecurity by tackling its socioeconomic roots, saying that in underdeveloped regions where children lack access to edu-cation, they are at risk of recruitment into banditry and extremism.
“The child who cannot access education because of insecurity is the same one who may become a bandit, a terrorist, or a trafficker – and then we spend even more [money] to fight them later,” he said, adding that Kenya is shifting from reactive to preventive security.
Kenya, Haji said, has a dual reality where some citizens contend with longstanding ethnic divisions and insecurity while others face modern threats like cybercrime, misinformation, and intellectual property theft.
“Since independence, Kenyan institutions have secured only 55 patents. Yet our young people are innovating daily – only for their ideas to be exploited by others and commercialised abroad,” he said.
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