State to put up patrol bases on borders to address unlawful acts

The government will establish Border Patrol Operation Bases in Suam, Lwakhakha and Busia alongside the existing security interventions.

This seeks to detect and deter illegal entries and cross border crimes along the Kenya-Uganda border.

Officials said forged documents and drug trafficking form the largest share of the cross-border crimes in Suam, Malaba and Busia.

Interior PS Raymond Omollo said Trans Nzoia, Bungoma and Busia were target counties for border security in the Western region and along the Kenya and Uganda border.

Deputy President Kithure Kindiki and Omollo visited the Suam border point and announced to facilitate trade, regional integration and people-to-people ties.

The government is upgrading Suam Point of Entry/Exit to a modern one-stop border post.

Kindiki said this will also enable border management officers from both countries to share space for quicker clearance of human and vehicle traffic.

They were in the area to assess progress of the works and follow up on the implementation of the presidential directives issued earlier for the expeditious completion of the Kenya side of the OSBP.

This is to give way for the completion of the OSBP facilities and the expansion of the 45km road from Suam to Kitale.

Omollo singled out forgery of travel documents as the country’s biggest cross-border security concern.

“Drug seizures including heroin, cannabis and cocaine follow while counterfeits and contrabands including sugar, maize, alcohol, ethanol and pharmaceutical drugs also form the confiscations made by border control authorities,” he said.

Last year, fake passports and identification documents accounted for 40 per cent of the crimes apprehended at the border points in Suam, Malaba and Busia.

This, among other issues prompted the measures to be put in place to protect Kenya’s reputation and defend the integrity of its immigration policies.

Seizures of narcotics accounted for about 21 per cent of the criminal cases recorded during the same period.