By EDWIN MUTAI, emutai@ke.nationmedia.com
In Summary
- In seeking for more funding for the NIS, House committee says the dynamism of the threat environment requires innovation that necessitates use of modern technology.
- The spy agency, through Mr Shill, said the underfunding risked curtailing programmes and activities earmarked for implementation in the next budget cycle, including the expansion of intelligence collection capabilities and counter terrorism operations.
The National Intelligence Service (NIS) will get an
extra Sh5 billion in next year’s budget to expand its operations as the
country heads to the General Election.
The amount is part of the Sh8.5 billion that Treasury had
chopped from the Sh35.1 billion budget that the spy agency had asked for
to finance priority operation areas, including counter-terrorism,
intelligence and to secure the Kenyan border with Somalia.
The NIS had submitted a budget of Sh35.1 billion
for the 2017/18 financial year but was allocated Sh26.6 billion going by
the Budget Policy Statement (BPS) ceilings, resulting in the Sh8.5
billion shortfall.
Bare Shill, the National Assembly’s Defence and
Foreign Relations committee vice chairperson, told the Budget and
Appropriations Committee (BAC) that the money is needed to strengthen
multi-agency collaboration and co-ordination as well as modernisation of
operational equipment, systems and tools such as surveillance systems.
The Defence committee appeared before the BAC
chaired by Mbeere South MP Mutava Musyimi to pitch for additional
funding to NIS in the 2017/18 budget.
The Defence committee said it wanted the agency to
be added Sh5 billion to cover priority areas that were to benefit from
the Sh8.5 billion cut from its budget.
“The committee recommends an additional Sh5 billion
to cover the deficit of Sh8.5 billion in key priority areas of security
intelligence and counter intelligence, modernization and expansion of
surveillance system,” Mr Shill said in an annex contained in the BAC’s
report on the Budget Policy Statement (BPS) and the Debt Management
Strategy for 2017/2018 that MPs approved at a special session last
Tuesday.
In seeking for more funding for the NIS, the
committee said the dynamism of the threat environment requires
innovation that necessitates use of modern technology.
“This calls for enhancement of financial, human and material resources,” Mr Shill said in the BAC report.
The spy agency, through Mr Shill, said the
underfunding risked curtailing programmes and activities earmarked for
implementation in the next budget cycle, including the expansion of
intelligence collection capabilities and counter terrorism operations.
“This will affect priority areas such as security
intelligence and counter intelligence, modernization and expansion of
surveillance system.
“Considering that 2017 is an election year when
pillars of national security are often threatened, the national
intelligence budget needs to be enhanced,” Mr Shill said.
The NIS budget is usually removed from public
scrutiny with only the National Assembly, through the 29-member Defence
and Foreign Relations committee having access to its spending.
The committee also oversights the budgets of the
ministries of Defence, Foreign Affairs and International Trade, and East
African Community Integration.
In the current financial year 2016/17, the Treasury
invested heavily in the security sector, with special focus on
improving servicemen’s welfare, mobilisation and modernisation of the
security forces
The Treasury in June set aside Sh124 billion for
defence and the National Intelligence Service and an additional Sh140
billion for internal security.
The money is currently being spent on military and police
modernisation, lease financing of police motor vehicles, enhanced
security operations, police and prison officers’ medical insurance
scheme.
The enhanced Defence and Intelligence budgets are
meant to help the country counter increased threat of terrorism from
Somalia-based Al Shabaab militants.
Kenya deployed its troops in Somalia in December
2011 to pursue terrorists who had staged a series of attacks on tourists
and foreign aid workers along its border with Somalia.
The troops are serving with the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) in the fight against the Al-Shabaab militants.
Kenyan authorities recently enhanced security
patrols and surveillance along the border with Somalia to prevent
incursions by Al-Shabaab militants targeting communication
infrastructure.
The militants bombed two Safaricom masts in Mandera
County early this month aiming to sabotage communication infrastructure
and frustrate security operations in the region.
The country has stationed permanent ground security
operations in hotspots along the border after intelligence showed that
the militants planned to cripple communication infrastructure in the
towns.
The Al-Shabaab militants have been targeting
military and police vehicles either by laying ambushes or planting bombs
in the northeast region, especially in Mandera and Garissa counties.
The increased intelligence surveillance along the
Somali-Kenya border has helped the defence forces fight the terrorists
and reduced the attacks.
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