Ambassador's Letter to GOK on Expanding US Support to

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 NAIROBI 002586 SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR AF/E DRIANO, PRM, FO, PRM/AF DEUTCH E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PREF SO KE PREL SUBJECT: Ambassador's Letter to GOK on Expanding US Support to Kenya's Border Management Capacities REF: 09 NAIROBI 2364 ¶1. Ambassador Ranneberger sent the following letter on December 8 to the Kenyan Minister of State for Provincial Administration and Internal Security Professor George Saitoti. The letter was a follow-up to the conversation PRM Assistant Secretary Eric Schwartz and the Ambassador had with Minister Saitoti on October 21 during which Minister Saitoti said the Government of Kenya (GOK) would agree to a fourth refugee camp in Dadaab if the USG would help the GOK expand its border management capacities (Ref A). The letter was accompanied by the attached "Border Security Assistance Fact Sheet" which outlined current USG border management support to Kenya. ¶2. Begin text ¶3. Dear Honorable Minister, During our October 21 meeting with Assistant Secretary Schwartz, I was encouraged to hear that the Government of Kenya would support UNHCR's request for a fourth Dadaab camp if Kenya's border management capacity was expanded. As I stated during the meeting, my government and I stand ready to work with you to expand Kenya's border management capacity so legitimate refugees can enter Kenya in a dignified manner. The purpose of this letter is to let you know what the United States Government is currently doing in partnership with the Kenyan Government and what expansion activities we are prepared to undertake to help Kenya better manage its border regions and the inflow of asylum seekers. ¶4. Since 2007, the United States has provided almost $53 million (3.95 billion KES) to the government of Kenya in Border Security assistance. This assistance includes military-to-military training and equipment programs to, for example, the Kenya Army Ranger Strike Force and Kenya's Navy. We have also assisted civilian and police border departments with training and equipment improving their capacity to interdict and/or detect terrorist activity, deter the smuggling of weapons, counterfeit goods, narcotics and manage illegal immigration. Notably, in 2009, we assisted the AP and KWS in their efforts to train and equip dedicated border patrol units who are now active along the Kenya/Somalia border. This year we also provided over $13 million to UNHCR to support its operations in Dadaab and Kakuma, which included increasing UNHCR's programs to screen and register new arrivals, pay stipends to AP officers to patrol the camps and implement a community policing program. ¶5. We will continue supporting Kenya's border management programs and are prepared to expand Kenya's border management capacities through the following activities: ¶6. Border Security: We will provide almost $750,000 in Border Security Management training to 150 Kenyan law enforcement personnel this year and are discussing with AP Commandant Mbugua the possibility of adding DHS/Customs and Border Protection (DHS/CBP) operational and tactical modules to the training program. Following Commandant Mbugua's October trip to the U.S., we have initiated preliminary discussions with DHS/CBP to furnish additional border security equipment to the AP and KWS units currently patrolling the Kenya/Somalia border. Finally, we are prepared to expand our TIP/PISCES program of biometric enhancements identifying and tracking individuals entering and departing along Kenya's land border ports of entry. ¶7. Military: We will deliver $15.3 million focused on training the Kenya Navy in coastal security and maritime domain awareness. This training will expand the Kenya Navy's ability to deter and interdict weapons, personnel, and equipment along the Kenyan coastline. Associated equipments grants for this program include six coastal radar sites, three Defender boats, new equipment training, and spare parts for existing equipment. We have requested $10 million to continue ongoing efforts to train and equip the Kenya Army Ranger Strike Force. One of the primary missions of the Ranger Strike Force will be to patrol and secure the land border areas of Kenya. ¶8. Supporting UNHCR: We will continue to support generously UNHCR operations in Kenya, including the UNHCR Kenya's proposed Dadaab "Security Partnership Project" when it becomes finalized. The project proposal totals $2 million for the first year's activities. I understand that the four-year UNHCR Security Partnership Project is currently awaiting approval by the Government of Kenya. I urge the approval of the UNHCR project as NAIROBI 00002586 002 OF 002 quickly as possible in order to begin the proposed training and equipping of a 425 member Humanitarian Police Unit to patrol and police adequately the refugee camps. The proposed program will not only provide stipends to dedicated police units, but will also equip the units with vehicles (3) and radios and construct police posts in the two refugee camps. To manage better the flow of asylum seekers, the UNHCR project will establish a registration and screening center for newly arrived asylum seekers before they reach the Dadaab camps. Security and health screening as well as biometric registration data will be collected on the newly arrived refugees during the registration and screening process. Again, we will generously support this effort and work hard to ensure that other donors do the same. ¶9. Host Community Development: The UN Country Team has developed a $17 million suite of environmental rehabilitation and community development projects for the refugee hosting communities in Kakuma and Dadaab. We are committed to providing funding for the UNHCR portion of this suite of projects. As Assistant Secretary Schwartz said, we are prepared to support generously appropriate programs in the package when the UN appeal is officially presented to the international community. ¶10. International Collaboration: We will continue to encourage other international donors to support Kenya's efforts to improve its border management programs. We are currently liaising with the British government, which is providing communications equipment to Kenya's border posts, and with the Japanese government, which has upgraded the border posts along the Kenya/Somalia border and will provide training for border officials. We will also continue to exchange training and trend analysis information with the Canadians, Dutch, and Australian customs officials. ¶11. Honorable Minister, the United States remains committed to assisting the Government of Kenya to meet its security concerns as well as its humanitarian obligations and commitments to refugees. ¶12. We therefore urge the Kenya government to urgently cooperate on the setting up of a fourth Dadaab camp. Respectfully, Michael Ranneberger. ¶13. End text RANNEBERGER