NAIROBI, Kenya – Detectives are being trained on the rapidly evolving tactics used in money laundering and terrorism financing, as the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) steps up Kenya’s fight against sophisticated financial crimes.
This week, the DCI launched the fifth and sixth cohorts of its Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing Sensitisation Seminars, with two-day sessions held concurrently in Naivasha for senior officers and Kisumu for frontline field investigators.
Part of an ongoing series that began last week, the seminars aim to equip officers with intelligence-led, well-coordinated, and results-oriented approaches to tackling increasingly complex financial crime cases.
Rosemary Kuraru, Director of Forensics, representing the DCI Director, officially opened the Naivasha session, while George Kisaka, Deputy Director of the Investigations Bureau, opened the Kisumu session.
Kuraru stressed that officers must adapt to sophisticated laundering and terrorism financing methods, highlighting the need for intelligence-driven investigations and enhanced inter-agency coordination.
DCI Director Mohamed Amin described Kenya’s placement on the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) Grey List as a wake-up call, pointing out gaps in investigations, prosecutions, and coordination that have affected investor confidence and Kenya’s global standing.
“As Kenya’s premier investigative body, the DCI has intensified its efforts by implementing standardised operating procedures, prioritising parallel financial investigations alongside predicate offences, building specialised capacity in dedicated units, and enhancing intelligence-sharing mechanisms to disrupt illicit financial networks,” the DCI said.
To strengthen the country’s response, the government has introduced the Anti-Money Laundering and Combating of Terrorism Financing Laws (Amendment) Act, 2025, which includes enhanced oversight of financial and non-financial institutions, stricter Know-Your-Customer requirements, and stiffer penalties for non-compliance.
The DCI has complemented these reforms with operational improvements, including standardised investigative procedures, prioritising financial investigations alongside predicate offences, creating specialised units, and improving intelligence-sharing to disrupt illicit financial networks.
While previous seminars focused on senior officers, the Kisumu session is the first dedicated to frontline investigators, those directly handling complex financial crime cases.
The DCI plans a phased nationwide rollout to ensure officers across all regions benefit from these vital trainings.
