‘Security checks are in place,’ PS Roseline Njogu defends Ruto’s visa-free decision

State Department for Diaspora Affairs Principal Secretary Roseline Njogu has allayed fears of border security breaches following President William Ruto’s visa-free announcement.

PS Njogu who spoke on Citizen TV’s JKLive Show on Wednesday night instead assured Kenyans that the government had put measures in place to ensure the move does not pose any external threats to the country.

She revealed that the announcement by the president on Tuesday was long overdue and his administration had already laid out a proper foundation to ensure a seamless exercise adding that it was not an impromptu decision.

“The visa-free regime has been a desire I think of the President for some time and he tasked a team to look into what would that look like, what would we need to do as a government to be able to think through the security issues this might bring,” she explained.

“We have a system in place to ensure that security checks are still ongoing so that we can tell who is coming in or not. It is not an abandonment of border control, it is an opening of doors and saying we are the cradle of mankind.”

The PS went on to explain that President Ruto had already tasked Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi beforehand to look into the gains and losses of the decision.

She thus reaffirmed that the historic declaration would bolster the country's economy by bringing in more investors, especially in trade and tourism dockets.

“Flattening borders and allowing such movement of people comes with a lot of capital, tourism mixed with doing of businesses here easier. We have always said that Kenya is open for business, this is one of the ways that we demonstrate that Kenya is open for business,” Njogu noted.

According to PS Njogu, the public focus should not be on the threats but rather on the advantages the move will have for the country and region at large.

This she says, the government is at the forefront of streamlining its services to ensure the border is secure.

“As a leader in this continent, we needed to make the pronouncement that the borders ought to come down for people who are related. The nitty gritty is something the state department is tasked with, we have seen,” she stated.

“The fact that you will not require a visa to come to Kenya is going to be an  excellent thing.”

The remarks by the PS follow concerns raised by citizens regarding Ruto’s announcement on Tuesday during the 60th Jamhuri Day celebrations at Uhuru Gardens.

An online poll carried out by Citizen Digital on Wednesday showed that more than 70 percent of Kenyans were sceptical of the idea saying the move was ill-advised and would bring more harm to the country than good.

They argued that the president’s decision would pose security threats to the country since many people would be flocking in and criminals may see it as a loophole.

However, those in support of the move said it would bolster diplomatic ties with other nations which would in turn increase the country’s revenues and taxes due to more investors coming into the country.