By Issa Hussein - Reporter
Kenya, 1 July 2026 - Kenya has stepped up efforts to strengthen its fight against money laundering, terrorism financing and other financial crimes as senior officials from key law enforcement and financial oversight institutions met to coordinate reforms aimed at securing the country's removal from the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) grey list.
The high-level breakfast meeting on Wednesday brought together Director of Public Prosecutions Renson Ingonga, Director General of the Financial Reporting Centre Naphtaly Rono, Director of Criminal Investigations Mohamed Amin, Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission Chief Executive Officer Abdi Mohamud, as well as senior officials from the Asset Recovery Agency and the Kenya Revenue Authority.
The meeting focused on reinforcing inter-agency cooperation as Kenya works to implement the remaining requirements under the FATF Action Plan, which outlines reforms needed for the country to exit the international watchdog's list of jurisdictions under increased monitoring.
The officials reaffirmed the government's whole-of-government approach to tackling financial crime, emphasizing closer collaboration among investigative, prosecutorial and financial intelligence agencies.
According to the agencies, discussions centred on addressing the remaining strategic deficiencies identified in Kenya's anti-money laundering and countering the financing of terrorism (AML/CFT) framework. The leaders agreed to enhance operational coordination, strengthen information sharing, and improve collaboration in investigating financial crimes, prosecuting offenders and recovering proceeds of crime.
The meeting also reviewed mechanisms for harmonising statistics and reporting under the FATF Immediate Outcomes framework, with officials noting that accurate and measurable data is essential in demonstrating the effectiveness of Kenya's AML/CFT system.
The agencies further assessed preparations for an upcoming face-to-face engagement with the FATF Africa Joint Group, which will evaluate Kenya's progress in implementing agreed reforms before making recommendations on the country's status.
Officials expressed confidence that sustained collaboration and timely implementation of the outstanding action points will strengthen Kenya's case for removal from the grey list.
Government Reforms
The latest meeting comes amid intensified government efforts to align Kenya's financial system with international standards on combating money laundering, terrorism financing and proliferation financing.
Since being placed on the FATF grey list in 2024, Kenya has accelerated legal, regulatory and institutional reforms aimed at addressing weaknesses identified by the global financial crime watchdog.
Among the measures undertaken are stronger supervision of banks, money remittance providers, virtual asset service providers and designated non-financial businesses and professions. Authorities have also enhanced beneficial ownership transparency to make it easier to identify the real owners of companies and other legal entities.
The government has also increased resources for agencies responsible for financial intelligence, investigations, prosecutions and asset recovery, while improving coordination through joint investigations and intelligence sharing between institutions such as the Financial Reporting Centre, Directorate of Criminal Investigations, Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission, Kenya Revenue Authority and the Asset Recovery Agency.
In recent months, authorities have intensified investigations into complex financial crimes, pursued the confiscation of proceeds of crime, strengthened oversight of suspicious financial transactions and expanded training for investigators, prosecutors and judicial officers handling money laundering and terrorism financing cases.
Kenya has additionally continued working with international partners, including the Eastern and Southern Africa Anti-Money Laundering Group (ESAAMLG) and the FATF, to implement reforms and demonstrate that its AML/CFT framework is both technically compliant and effective in practice.
The government maintains that exiting the FATF grey list remains a national priority, noting that improved compliance with international standards will strengthen the integrity of Kenya's financial system, boost investor confidence, facilitate cross-border trade and reduce the cost of international financial transactions for businesses and consumers.
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