US and Kenya Sign Maritime Security Pact

Kenya and the United States  signed a ‘mega-ports initiative’ aimed at boosting security at the port of Mombassa.
Reporting on the signing, the Kenya Broadcasting Corporation described the partnership agreement signed by the US Ambassador to Kenya, Michael Ranneberger and Kenya’s Finance Minister Uhuru Kenyatta, as being directed towards providing increased maritime security for international shipping.
The report said the US ambassador signed the agreement on behalf of the US Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration – one of the objectives being to deter, detect and interdict illicit trafficking of nuclear and other radioactive materials within the global maritime system.
According Ambassador Ranneberger, the effectiveness of the programme is dependent on the co-operation of multiple ministries including the Kenya Revenue Authority Customs Service Department, which falls under Kenya’s Ministry of Finance, the Kenya Ports Authority and the Kenya Maritime Authority, both of which report to the Ministry of Transport, as well as the Kenya Radiation Control Board which reports to the Ministry of Health.