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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