US-Kenya Meeting Today Should Focus on Corruption, Illicit Assets

Biden-Kenyatta Meeting at White House Today:

Experts Urge Kenya and US to Focus on Countering Corruption and Illicit Assets

 

October 14, 2021 (Washington, DC) – As President Joe Biden hosts Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta at the White House today, experts at The Sentry welcome the meeting and urge a focus on efforts to counter corruption and illicit asset flows. The meeting at the White House will mark Biden’s first as president with an African leader.

Justyna Gudzowska, Director of Illicit Finance Policy at The Sentry, said: “We welcome President Kenyatta’s visit to the White House today. The US and Kenya have an historic opportunity to work together to promote accountability and transparency in financial markets. As the US prepares to host the Summit for Democracy, the time is now for these leaders to help lead the way to counter corruption and tackle illicit financial flows.

Denisse Rudich, Senior Advisor at The Sentry, said: “With transparency and accountability in financial systems part of the discussion today, it’s important to remember that while Kenya has come a long way in improving its AML/CFT regime, some gaps remain around full documentation into law and effective implementation by both the public and private sectors. As Kenya prepares to undergo its anti-money laundering assessment, it has the opportunity to fix critical gaps and ensure that it is well-positioned as a regional financial hub that will not stand for foreign corruption.”

Since 2016, The Sentry has, through its investigative work in South Sudan and East and Central Africa, exposed a number of illicit financial activities in Kenya connected to regional corruption and conflict.

Selected resources for journalists:

Op-ed – “Kenyan Money Launderers: Watch Out!” (The East African)

Report by The Sentry – “East Africa’s Leverage for Peace: Target Real Estate in Kenya and Uganda Connected to South Sudan’s Spoilers”

Report series by The Sentry – “The Taking of South Sudan”

Report by The Sentry – “War Crimes Shouldn’t Pay”

 

For media inquiries or interview requests, please contact: Greg Hittelman, Director of Communications, +1 310 717 0606, [email protected]

About The Sentry

The Sentry is an investigative and policy team that follows the dirty money connected to African war criminals and transnational war profiteers and seeks to shut those benefiting from violence out of the international financial system. By disrupting the cost-benefit calculations of those who hijack governments for self-enrichment, we seek to counter the main drivers of conflict and create new leverage for peace, human rights, and good governance. The Sentry is composed of financial investigators, international human rights lawyers, and regional experts, as well as former law enforcement agents, intelligence officers, policymakers, investigative journalists, and banking professionals. Co-founded by George Clooney and John Prendergast, The Sentry is a strategic partner of the Clooney Foundation for Justice.