Corruption cartels in Kenya and South Africa have been put on notice as the two nations sealed a renewed pact to hunt down graft across borders.

On Thursday, August 14, 2025, the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) announced an expanded partnership with South Africa’s Special Investigating Unit (SIU), aimed at bolstering the fight against corruption and ensuring there is no haven for those looting public resources.

EACC Chief Executive Officer Abdi Mohamud, who hosted the SIU delegation at the Integrity Centre in Nairobi, said the partnership underscores the need for the fight against corruption to transcend national borders.

“The fight against corruption knows no boundaries. Through strategic partnerships such as this, we strengthen our collective capacity to safeguard public resources, uphold integrity, and restore public trust,” Mohamud stated.

The meeting reaffirmed the long-standing relationship between the two anti-graft bodies while setting the stage for a more robust framework of cooperation. The two agencies are committed to working closely on cross-border investigations, intelligence sharing, and coordinated crackdowns on suspects who attempt to escape justice by exploiting jurisdictional loopholes.

Advocate JL Andy Mothibi, the Head and Chief Executive of South Africa’s SIU and Vice President of the International Association of Anti-Corruption Authorities (IAACA), welcomed the strengthened ties. He described the engagement as an invaluable platform for benchmarking, exchanging best practices, and building strong partnerships across Commonwealth Africa.

The discussions identified key joint actions, including capacity building, joint training of investigators, exchange of technical expertise, staff development programmes, and collaborative research on emerging corruption trends.

For Kenya, the deal comes at a time when the EACC has been pursuing high-profile cases involving public officials, with some suspects believed to have moved assets or influence networks beyond national borders.

Analysts say such partnerships could help in tracing and recovering stolen assets hidden in foreign jurisdictions, a major challenge in past corruption cases. The partnership with South Africa is expected to enhance mutual legal assistance and close loopholes that have allowed corrupt individuals to exploit differences in national laws to evade prosecution.

As the two nations move forward with this joint strategy, the message from Nairobi and Pretoria is clear: the corrupt will have nowhere to hide.