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The director of Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) Christopher Asher Wray yesterday concluded his five-day trip to Kenya after holding a series of meetings with the heads of various security and investigative agencies.

Wray, who arrived in the country on Saturday, visited the Nairobi National Park, Dusit D2 Complex and a number of malls in Nairobi.

The FBI boss held separate meetings with National Intelligence Service (NIS) Director General Noordin Haji, Director of Criminal Investigations Mohamed Amin, Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) CEO Twalib Mbarak and Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) Mulele Ingonga.

The mission of the historic visit, which was kept under wraps for days, was not immediately established, sparking speculation. It comes just days after President William Ruto visited the US for days and met his host Joe Biden.

Wray however said he was simply visiting a ‘great partner in various areas’ to enhance operations for general stability in the region. “We have a great partner in Kenya and that is why we are here to enhance our partnership. Part of the mission of our visit is to say thank you for the cooperation and collaboration,” he said.

The FBI boss on Tuesday met a few journalists at the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) headquarters after meeting the DCI Amin and his senior officers.

During the meeting, the two directors discussed areas of mutual cooperation and where the FBI needs to put more attention in efforts to combat emerging threats.

Wray also discussed with the EACC CEO various collaboration initiatives for effective modern law enforcement. The discussions focused on enhancing partnerships between the FBI and EACC to counter transnational corruption and economic crimes.

There was a resolve by the FBI to enhance its support to the commission through training and acquisition of modern investigative tools and equipment.

The meeting also explored ways of leveraging on exchange of information to support tracing and recovery of corruptly acquired assets stashed abroad.

The EACC CEO said they have a long-standing history of collaboration with the FBI stretching back to 2001, and added that the visit marked a major milestone as they seek to deepen their partnership and explore areas of cooperation.

“With technical support from the FBI, the Commission will have a greater impact in investigating high impact cases and robustly pursue recovery of corruptly acquired assets and unexplained wealth,” Mbarak said.

Close cooperation

Through close cooperation, EACC investigators have benefited from various specialized training on undercover operations, trade craft and modern techniques in investigation of complex financial, economic crimes, corruption cases and recovery of corruptly acquired and unexplained wealth.

The discussions also focused on enhancing partnerships between the FBI and EACC to counter transnational corruption and economic crimes.

The FBI will enhance its support to the commission through training and acquisition of modern investigative tools and equipment.
The meeting also explored ways of leveraging on exchange of information to support tracing and recovery of corruptly acquired assets stashed abroad.

The FBI is the domestic intelligence and security service of the United States and its principal federal law enforcement agency.
It enforces federal law, and investigates a variety of criminal activity including terrorism, cybercrime, white-collar crimes, public corruption, civil rights violations, and other major crimes.

Besides having a base in Djibouti, the Joe Biden administration appears keen to deepen the Kenya-US bilateral partnership because of Kenya’s strategic value in addressing regional security concerns like terrorism and piracy.