COAST PROVINCE PROVINCIAL COMMISSIONER ADVOCATES

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 NAIROBI 000401

SIPDIS

STATE FOR ATA WENDY DOUGHERTY, AF/E, S/CT
CCJ5-SC FOR USCG SECURITY ASSISTANCE OFFICER CARTER
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PTER PGOV EWWT ASEC KE
SUBJECT: COAST PROVINCE PROVINCIAL COMMISSIONER ADVOCATES
INTERAGENCY CT COORDINATION, PLANNING AND OPERATIONS TO
EMBASSY OFFICIALS AND ATA ASSESSMENT TEAM

REF: 05 NAIROBI 1590


1. (C) Summary: Kenya's coastline and ports present
critical vulnerabilities to terrorist infiltration and
attack, as well as smuggling of goods and persons. December
13-16, an Antiterrorism Assistance (ATA) Assessment Team and
Embassy officials met senior provincial-level
representatives from 11 Kenyan agencies in Mombasa and Lamu
to brief them on the status of ATA's two coastal security
initiatives, urge intensified interagency counter-terrorism
(CT) cooperation, assess coastal and port security, and make
contacts on implementation issues for the International Ship
and Port Facilities Security (ISPS) Program. Coast Province
Provincial Commissioner Cyrus Maina called for improved GOK
outreach to sensitize the local communities to the threat
terrorism poses to them, and warned his inter-agency
Antiterrorism Committee of the urgent need to
institutionalize and improve interagency CT cooperation,
coordination and planning. At follow up meetings, members
of individual agencies that had attended the Provincial
Commissioner's meeting indicated that the Commissioner's
meeting was unprecedented, welcomed the initiative, and
supported the ATA concept of training personnel from
multiple agencies for participation in joint coastal and
port security boat patrols. The District Commissioner in
Lamu also convened his interagency Security Committee, and
appeared to support interagency cooperation and operations.
Embassy will continue to foster and reinforce interagency CT
cooperation in Coast Province through operational and
executive-level training, high-level engagement, and
participation in future meetings of the Committee in
Mombasa. End Summary.

Provincial Commissioner Maina and Antiterrorism Committee
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2. (C) On December 13, Coast Province Provincial
Commissioner (PC) Cyrus Maina convened a meeting of his
interagency Security Committee to discuss CT issues and hear
a briefing from ATA Assessment Team and Embassy officials on
the status of ATA's proposed CT assistance projects. The
meeting included agencies not previously integrated into the
strategic security planning meetings, indicating Maina's
understanding of the need to broaden and intensify
Provincial CT efforts.


3. (C) PC Maina welcomed ATA's proposals to provide boats
for port and coastal patrols with interagency crews (aka
"joint patrols"). Maina warned his committee that terrorism
was a threat to Coast Province, and not just an American
problem. He noted that 70% of the Coast Province population
lives in poverty, and that Kenya needed to reduce poverty,
unemployment and exclusion in the Province, and to improve
infrastructure to make the populace less susceptible to
terrorism. Maina explained that communities also need to be
sensitized to terrorism's physical, emotional and economic
impact on the local economy and people. He said an
intensive, continuous education campaign including posters,
magazine and newspapers articles, and radio programs was
needed to sensitize people, and increase their awareness of
the threat and the importance of working with government
agencies to combat it. He stressed the importance of
reaching out to and assisting local fishermen, since they
see and hear everything along the coast. It was agreed that
awareness training should be brought to the communities by
the Kenyans to be effective. Prior to the meeting, Maina
had also reiterated to an ATA official his opinion that
Embassy assistance should not be directed specifically
towards Muslims as it caused suspicion among the Muslim
population. He suggested offering assistance based on
financial need, such as to fishermen who represent all
religions.


4. (C) Maina called for all agencies, including the Kenya
Navy, immigration and fisheries, to incorporate CT into
their missions, and to react quickly and not make excuses
when receiving a CT report. He stated the GOK and the
provincial government lacked a legally established means of
coordinating agencies for terrorism and coastal security.
He admitted they have not developed any response plans to
terrorism and requested that ATA provide training on
interagency coordination and planning. Maina said his
office and his Provincial Security Committee could
temporarily serve as an informal CT coordinating mechanism.
For the long-term, Maina called for the legal establishment
of a permanent, semi-autonomous inter-agency CT body that
would know each agency's issues and what resources were
available to react to a threat or incident. (Note: No one
in the room except the NSIS Regional Coordinator knew of the
existence of the National Counter Terrorism Center (NCTC)
and its purported mandate to provide interagency
coordination. End note.)

5. (C) Kenya officials at the PC's security meeting were:
-------------- --------------

- Cyrus K. Maina, Provincial Commissioner, Coast Province
- National Security Intelligence Service, Regional
Coordinator Mr. J. Kobungah.
- Kenya National Police, Anti-Terrorism Police Unit (ATPU)
Commandant Boniface Mwaniki.
- Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) Harbormaster Captain Twalib
Khamis.
- Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS),Assistant Director Benjamin
Kavu.
- Provincial Police Officer Simon Gatiba Karanja.
- Provincial Criminal Intelligence Officer Robert Onchiri.
- Provincial Works Officer Samuel Owala, (road engineer).
- Assistant Director of Fisheries Mrs. Mwaka Bababara.
- Kenya Revenue Authority, George Muia.
- Immigration, Linus L. Muriithi.
- Moi International Airport Manager John Mugo.
- Administration Police, Provincial Commandant Mr. Luka
Chebor.
- Provincial Criminal Investigation Division (CID) officer
Patrick Obimo.

Port of Mombasa KPA Staff
--------------


6. (C) At the Port of Mombasa, the ATA Assessment Team and
Embassy officials met with Kenya Ports Authority (KPA)
security officers, police, CID and NSIS to discuss Port
security issues and the feasibility of rehabilitating some
police boats. The officials indicated that KPA and other
agencies cannot rely on the Navy for port security or
coastal patrols. They stressed the need for Kenya to
establish a properly equipped coast guard under the
direction of the recently created Kenya Maritime Authority
(KMA) to patrol the coast, particularly in the Manda and
Shimoni areas. They stressed that a Coast Guard would have
to generate most of its own budget through fees. They
explained that under an interagency agreement, the Kenya
Police Service (KPS) provides the personnel for the 30-man
Maritime Police Unit in the Port, and the KPA is supposed to
provide all the equipment and training. KPA has provided a
boat for harbor patrol, but no training in boarding,
navigation and maintenance, nor any gear.


7. (C) ATA officials advised that a USCG engineer is needed
to inspect the non-operational patrol boats and determine if
rehabilitation was worthwhile. ATA cited their concerns
about the need to ensure: long-term maintenance for any
rehabilitated boats; using them mainly for harbor security
and port approaches; and, keeping training course graduates
in their assignment for three years.


8. (C) To assist the Embassy in determining a mission and
operations plan at both Lamu and Mombasa for any boats ATA
provides or rehabilitates, KPA agreed to provide a soft copy
of the World Bank-funded ISPS implementation report to the
ATA Assessment Team. This report was conducted over a
period of 4 months, covering both the Port of Mombasa and
Lamu. KPA claimed the World Bank has agreed to fund a large
part of the actions required to become compliant with ISPS.
As of January 23, KPA has not provided a copy of the report.

Other Agencies in Mombasa
--------------


9. (C) At follow up meetings with agencies that attended the
Provincial Commissioner's meeting, it was indicated that the
meeting was unprecedented. They welcomed the initiative,
and supported the ATA concept of training personnel from
multiple agencies for participation in coastal and port
security boat patrols. The Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA)
noted that Tanzania has successfully implemented joint
patrols. Smugglers use the many unregistered/illegal
jetties along the coast, the most problematic areas being
Shimoni, Kiunga and the old port of Mombasa. Fisheries saw
a potential CT role at the local level for the Beach
Management Committees it was trying to organize, but fishing
villages need electricity, roads and refrigerated storage
facilities to raise their standard of living. Fisheries
just bought four patrol boats, but the official stressed the
need to work out payment of operating expenses for joint
patrols. Police agencies stressed their need for CT
training and vehicles to respond to reports and reach remote
areas. Police also raised the issue that Muslims feel they
are being targeted by the police, making cooperation between
the police and community more problematic.

ISPS Code Implementation
--------------


10. (C) KPA leadership understands the importance of the
implementation of the International Ship and Port Facilities
Security (ISPS) Code and was relatively forthcoming in
meetings with the ATA Assessment Team. GOK agencies and the
KPA are still struggling to secure the Port of Mombasa from
theft and to establish effective access control. KPA has
engaged the international community by having the World Bank
fund a port vulnerability assessment to identify the
deficiencies and suggest measures to rectify them. KPA
stated the World Bank recently agreed to provide $11 million
to fund the security measures. KPA also sees the need for
more engagement with local law enforcement and government
agencies to address the Port's vulnerabilities. The Coast
Guard ISPS Liaison Office will study the vulnerability
assessment and recommendations once received from KPA and
work with the Embassy to monitor the Port's progress towards
full ISPS implementation.

Lamu Meetings and Project Implementation
--------------


11. (C) The ATA Assessment Team visited Lamu to meet Port
and District officials to discuss port and coastal security
and ATA's project to provide four boats for local patrols.
The KPA Jetty Superintendent chairs a Port Security
Committee, which includes the Navy, Police, NSIS, Kenya
Wildlife Service (KWS),Administration Police (AP),and
Immigration. The Kenya Police Anti-Terrorism Police Unit
(ATPU),however, does not participate. Very few cargo ships
call at Lamu, and security is focused on protecting the
visiting tourist cruise ships. District Commissioner Olaka
convened his Security Committee, which included all the Port
Committee agencies, plus ATPU. DC Olaka raised concerns
about the number of U.S. agencies that had visited him
regarding coastal security issues and the lack of progress
resulting from these meetings. Once ATA differentiated
between the KUSLO project to provide six boats to the Kenyan
Navy for off-shore patrols from the ATA project to provide
four boats for coastal patrols, Olaka became less
belligerent, and more agreeable to joint patrols. KPA and
the law enforcement agencies in Lamu appear to have a
cooperative relationship that should facilitate joint
patrols on their existing boats, and future delivered boats.

Manda Bay
--------------


12. (C) The ATA Assessment Team visited the Naval Special
Warfare Task Unit (NSWTU) at Manda Bay on Dec. 16 to discuss
how the joint coastal patrols should be formed and operated
using the boats provided by ATA. NSWTU officials stated
that the two most important factors in making a success of
the joint patrols are (1) selecting the right persons and
advisor for the mission and (2) managing the political
situation effectively. NSWTU officials provided a detailed
concept for organizing, training and operating such patrols.


13. (C) Comment: If Provincial Commissioner Maina sustains
his interest in interagency CT cooperation, coordination,
and planning, his Provincial Committee could demonstrate to
the Government of Kenya the importance and value of an
interagency mechanism similar to the American concept of a
joint task force. Working through the powerful and
influential Provincial Commissioner's office may achieve
better results than previous efforts engaged at the
individual agency level in Mombasa, and Lamu. However,
Maina's enthusiasm cannot be taken at face value. At an
April 2005 meeting with the Ambassador (reftel),Maina told
the press that there is no longer a terrorist problem in the
Coast, that Muslims in Mombasa no longer feel targeted, and
that the GOK had addressed the Muslim community's needs.
(Maina is a Christian and ethnic Kikuyu.)


14. (C) Embassy and ATA assets can support and sustain the
initiative by: including officers from all willing and
appropriate agencies in maritime interdiction operations
training courses for use in existing assets or the patrol
boats we provide; high-level visits to Mombasa to meet with
Maina and the Committee; and, provision of visiting subject
matter experts to make presentations to the Committee on
matters of mutual interest. CentCom USCG will ask the Coast
Guard International Training Division to identify and
exploit ASAP opportunities for training appropriate GOK
agencies in maritime law enforcement to enhance Kenya's
control over its sovereign territorial seas.
Bellamy