Kenyan MPs Warned against Close Relations with Foreign Envoys

Members of the 12th Parliament have been cautioned against having close relations with foreign diplomats, with a hint that some envoys could be on an espionage mission.

National Intelligence Service (NIS) Assistant Director Alexander Muteshi called on the new crop of legislators to be cautious with foreigners, including heads of missions, as some have been using MPs to dig for information.

“Be very careful what you share with diplomats, they are intelligence officers,” Mr Muteshi warned MPs during their induction at a city hotel.

Muteshi noted that espionage was still a threat to national security. He also said terrorism remained the Kenya’s greatest threat to national security, adding that despite a lull in acts of terror in recent times, the threat remained high in the border counties of Mandera, Wajir, Garissa and Lamu.

“What makes the threats dangerous is that they are targeting churches, malls, schools and other public places. But the success against this, is the multi-agency approach we have adopted to deal with them,” he said.

“We are facing an enemy that is highly radicalised, that has no value for human life and is highly trained.”He told MPs.