As the frontline state in the global war against terrorism in East Africa, Kenya received a fair share of military and economic incentives at the recent US-Africa Summit to strengthen its capacity to fight international crimes.

President Uhuru Kenyatta signed agreements on security co-operation with the US government, and secured investment pledges from major American corporations running into billions of dollars.

A critical partner in the Djibouti-based US Combined Joint Task Force — Horn of Africa, Kenya inked a Customs Mutual Assistance Agreement (CMAA) with the USA on security and trade facilitation between the two countries.

The agreement is expected to facilitate information sharing between the two countries and boost efforts to combat illicit cross-border activities.

According to a statement from State House, Nairobi, the CMAA “serves as a foundation for deeper engagement,” and provides a “framework for the exchange of information to assist in the prevention, detection, and investigation of Customs offences and crimes.”

Under yet another agreement, the Security Governance Initiative, Kenya and five other African countries will work together to improve security sector governance and capacity to address threats, including those from terrorist groups such as Boko Haram, Al Shabaab and Al Qaeda; illicit activities — such as trafficking (drugs, humans, weapons, and wildlife) and piracy — that help fund criminal, and in some cases extremist, activities; and domestic and regional conflict.

The US will give $65 million to Kenya, Ghana, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, and Tunisia in the first year of the initiative and provide additional funding in subsequent years.

Under the initiative, the United States will help the countries to develop joint security strategies based on assessments from shared data.

The agreements mark a significant development in joint counter-terrorism efforts in the region by Kenya and the United States.

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The US has in the past expressed concerns over Kenya’s long and poorly guarded border with Somalia, which has provided Al Shabaab militants and smuggling cartels dealing in contraband products and weapons easy access into the country.

Growing dissatisfaction among Western countries with Kenya’s level of security preparedness could have informed President Kenyatta’s recent changes in the security dockets.

Last week’s resignation of the country’s top spy chief Michael Gichangi, which he said was on personal grounds, came just a few days after the agreements were signed.

The head of the National Intelligence Service (NIS), along with other top officials in the security establishment, have been facing calls for their resignation from leaders across the political divide.

President Kenyatta also made some changes in the Interior and Defence Ministries. Both ministries have been in the spotlight over rising insecurity in the country. Principal Secretary Mutea Iringo was moved from Interior to Defence, while Monica Juma takes up Mr Mutea’s position at Interior.

Under the security agreement, Kenyan and US authorities will jointly conduct risk assessments, develop a strategic plan and then apply US technical expertise and resources to respond to terror threats.

So far, only seven African countries have signed such a legal framework with the US — Algeria, Ghana, Mauritius, Morocco, Nigeria, South Africa — all of which are key in America’s efforts to combat terrorism and transnational crime.

The agreement has the potential to help reform Kenya’s border control systems, Immigration and port authorities, which have been accused by senior officials in the Kenyan government of facilitating cross-border crimes and the movement of terror suspects.

Highlighting America’s stepped up support Kenya in its war on terror in for East Africa, President Kenyatta secured investment pledges and trade agreements worth billions of dollars from major US corporations during his US trip.

Industrialisation Secretary Adan Mohamed met senior representatives of Philips Van Heusen (the second largest apparel importers in the US) and Jones Apparel, who gave the indicative value of potential investment in the East African region as $ 1 billion.

GAP and Wal-Mart also pledged to follow through on proposed supply-chain investments in Kenya that could see increased orders for apparel from Kenyan manufacturers in coming months. Honeywall committed to open regional offices in Kenya.

The majority of the deals were signed in Kenya’s nascent oil and gas industry.

Apart from being included in President Obama’s $26 billion Power Africa Initiative, key players in the energy sector in Houston, Texas, such as Bechtel, Baker Hughes and Fluor, expressed interest in Kenya’s plans to add 5,000 Megawatts to the national power grid in the next 40 months from geothermal, wind and solar sources.

Africa Power Initiative

This ambitious goal is set to cost the country about $3 billion, but by being part of the six-country Africa Power Initiative, Kenya stands to make substantial savings from this fund.

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During the main Summit in Washington, Africa Oil, which recently discovered natural gas in Marsabit north of Kenya, announced a partnership with America’s General Electric and Quantum Power to convert the gas into clean electricity.

Anardako and Symbion Power also decided to venture into Kenya after receiving assurances on profitable investments despite perceived risks in East Africa.

According to State House, the US EXIM Bank and Kenya’s Geothermal Development Company are currently finalising financing details of a 200 Megawatts project in Baringo that will cost about $300 million. The project could start from October this year.

Kenya’s Ministry of Energy also signed an agreement with the US Department of Energy that will see the former benefit from technology transfer and capacity in managing the energy sector.

Technology giant IBM will help Kenya develop the IT skills of its security forces, which will significantly enhance the forensic capacity of the police and its ability to tackle emerging cyber security threats.

The new batch of recruits is expected to take advanced classes in ICT at the Kenya Police Training College in Kiganjo.

Technology company, Microsoft will help the country develop a digital platform for its health sector, which though critical in meeting the millennium development goals, has been unable to keep up with the rising demand for quality services.

Additional reporting by Scola Kamau