Kenya is pursuing deeper cooperation with the United Kingdom to reinforce its public sector anti-fraud systems, following high-level discussions led by State House Deputy Chief of Staff Eliud Owalo.
The talks, held in London this week, signal renewed efforts by the government to plug financial leakages and strengthen institutions tasked with safeguarding public resources.
During the meeting, Owalo represented Chief of Staff and Head of Public Service Felix Koskei in bilateral engagements with officials from the UK Public Sector Fraud Authority.
The UK team was led by its Chief Executive, Mark Cheeseman. Owalo stated through an official communication that the session provided a platform for Kenya to outline its current anti-fraud programmes and areas where international technical support could bolster ongoing reforms.
The discussions come at a time when Kenya continues to battle persistent concerns over misuse of public funds in national and county governments.
Past investigations by bodies such as the Auditor-General, the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) and the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) have highlighted systemic weaknesses that have repeatedly shaped political debates, especially during election cycles where accountability remains a major campaign issue.
In the London session, the UK delegation briefed the Kenyan team on approaches used to detect, measure, and prevent fraud across government systems.
The UK Public Sector Fraud Authority has been recognised for its structured mechanisms that track financial risks, a model Kenyan officials said could inform local reforms.
Owalo noted that Kenya shared details about ongoing institutional strengthening, including work being undertaken within the EACC and the DCI to improve investigations and recovery of stolen assets.
These agencies have historically struggled with capacity gaps and overlapping mandates, challenges successive administrations have attempted to resolve through legislative changes and inter-agency cooperation.
Both governments agreed to explore targeted areas of collaboration.
According to Owalo’s statement, priority areas include establishing stronger fraud reporting channels, enhancing systems that prevent fraudulent transactions, and developing joint frameworks for tracing and recovering proceeds of economic crimes.
The proposed cooperation is aligned with Kenya’s broader public service transformation agenda, which seeks to curb wastage and improve service delivery.