The government will have the power to listen to calls and read emails of citizens said to be conducting large unexplained transactions. The proposal has been made by the Parliament’s Finance Committee.
The proposal suggests that people suspected of money laundering or funding terrorist groups will have their private communications bugged. This is part of the changes being made to the Anti-Money Laundering and Combating of Terrorism Financing Laws Amendment Bill, 2023.
MPs additionally want government agencies to access emails, listen to phone calls and read text messages of people suspected. The intention of the bugging is to monitor the flow of large money transactions by the people.
The Cabinet approved the amendment Bill last month in a meeting held at State House, Nairobi. This bill is said to help Kenyans combat terrorism financing and money laundering.
Recently, there have been cases of large bank transactions being made within the country and large cash seizures being made at the country’s entry points. These cases have raised concerns about money laundering or dirty cash movements.
” Where the person is suspected or accused of an offence under this Act, the privacy of a person’s communications may be investigated or otherwise interfered with,” the committee proposed.
The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) and the police currently have access to phone records and text messages that have been used to capture suspects involved in crimes.
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Reason for Amendment
The move for the amendment came a few weeks after the Kenya Bankers Association (KBA) pleaded with the parliament to tighten their policies on money launderers. They argued that Kenya’s geographical location makes it vulnerable to criminals laundering money that would finance terror activities. This was in direct opposition to increasing the transaction reporting threshold.
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President Ruto’s Cabinet increased the threshold of large transactions reporting from $10,000 (Ksh 14 million) to $15,000 (Ksh 2.1 million).
The move may reduce the prevalence of money laundering and lower the possibility of funding terrorist groups. It, however, raises privacy concerns as the state operatives could misuse the access to Kenyans’ private communication.
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