The Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife, and that of Interior have signed a memorandum of understanding on cooperation with the National Police Service (NPS).
The signing was presided over by Cabinet Secretaries Rebecca Miano and Prof Kithure Kindiki at Harambee House, Nairobi.
Speaking ahead of the signing, Kindiki said the safety and security of tourists, foreign and local, is key to the growth of the sector.
He said the NPS through the Tourism Police Unit (TPU) will ensure this.
Kindiki said TPU will be supported by the Tourism fund in their daily operations and capacity building among others while every other aspect will be managed by the NPS.
"I believe we can strengthen our tourism sector to generate more revenue and contribute to the economic development of our country," Kindiki said.
"For about 40 years, the numbers of arrivals of foreign nationals to our country have stuck somewhere between 1.5 million and 2 million and we are punching way below our weight. It is possible to get out of this under 2 million statistics and the target of this administration is to achieve 5 million by 2027 and I believe going into the next face of this administration we should be targeting 10 million by 2032."
He said this year, the number is expected to hit a 3 million mark.
According to Tourism CS Rebecca Miano, the signing of the cooperation agreement could not have come at a good time, this being Tourism week, whose theme is Peace and Security.
She said MoU will strengthen training, equipping and resourcing of the sector.
"The signing of this memorandum is a critical milestone. Before any tourist goes to any destination, the first thing on their checklist is to ensure there's security and this will ensure we can give confidence that security is well arranged in Kenya.
"As we plan to increase the number of tourists to 5 million by 2025, we assure tourists that we are well ahead of time in arranging their security."
Kindiki reiterated that the collaborative MoU underscores the interdependence and interconnectedness of the government.
"There's only one government and that is why interministerial collaboration becomes crucial. We in Interior cannot deliver unless we get support from other Ministries."
The signing was witnessed by the Inspector General of the National Police Douglas Kanja.
It will be reviewed after five years.
Principal Secretaries Dr. Raymond Omollo (Internal Security and National Administration), John Ololtuua (Tourism), Deputy Inspector-General (Kenya Police Service) Eliud Lagat and other senior ranks in the Ministries of Interior and National Administration and Wildlife and Tourism were also present.
