Security tops agenda as Kenya Hosts regional EU-CBRN meeting » Capital News

NAIROBI, Kenya, Feb 18 – Countries in Eastern and Central Africa have been challenged to strengthen legal frameworks to counter terrorism and organized crime, amid concerns over illicit trafficking of radiological and nuclear materials.

This call was made during a regional meeting attended by officials from at least 20 countries, where participants deliberated on the risks posed by porous borders and advancements in technology that could facilitate the smuggling of hazardous material

The two-day forum which kicked off Tuesday is part of efforts to strengthen security collaborations under a European Union-funded programme that has set up Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (EU-CBRN) Centers of Excellence across the region.

Kenya Nuclear Regulatory Authority (KNRA) Director General James Keter, who opened the meeting, said Kenya will embrace best practices and work with other countries to strengthen preventive and response strategies.

He told the forum that given the cross-border nature of crimes, no nation can win the war against organized crimes on its own.

“Part of what we are doing now includes working with partners to strengthen Kenya’s, and the wider region’s biosafety and biosecurity capabilities,” Keter told participants during meeting at KNRA’s Central Radioactive Waste Management facility in Oloolua, Kajiado County

KNRA hosts the EU-CBRN Regional Secretariat for the Eastern and Central African Centres of Excellence Initiative, comprising 12 member states.

“We must expand our focus beyond borders to encompass global and regional threats. This includes bolstering measures for the safe transport and management of chemicals, strengthening laws against illicit trafficking of radiological and nuclear materials.”

Keter stated that as the EU-funded programme marks its 15th anniversary this year, members should deepen partnerships, and reaffirm their commitment to a safer and secure future.
On her part, Marian De Bruijn, the Programme Manager at the United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute (UNICRI) emphasized the important for countries and regions to ensure funding arrangement benefits countries involved with traditional donors pulling away.

“One of the most sustainable avenues of diversifying funding sources is to involve the private sector. We must also realign our agenda and seek opportunities for collaborations that will ensure safety,” she said.

The EU-CBRN Centre of Excellence has three African regional secretariats with 28 partner countries.

The North Africa and Sahel Regional secretariat is based in Algeria, African Atlantic Façade Regional Secretariat is in Morocco while the Eastern and Central Africa Regional Secretariat is in Kenya