Nairobi — Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission on Wednesday called for deeper international cooperation to trace and recover assets stolen through corruption and hidden in foreign jurisdictions.
The anti-graft agency warned that weak cross-border collaboration continues to undermine accountability efforts worldwide.
Speaking at a high-level panel during the 11th Conference of the States Parties to the United Nations Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC) in Doha, Qatar, the commission's chief executive, Abdi Mohamud, said effective asset recovery depends largely on sustained partnerships between national authorities and international institutions.
"The recovery of assets hidden abroad largely depends on strong international partnerships," EACC said.
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Mohamud said, adding that no single country can successfully trace and repatriate illicit wealth without robust cooperation from its global counterparts.
The EACC CEO cited the commission's cooperation with institutions such as the International Anti-Corruption Coordination Centre and the Basel Institute on Governance's International Centre for Asset Recovery, saying the partnerships had been instrumental in helping Kenya recover significant assets in concluded corruption cases.
He urged governments to back their anti-corruption commitments with concrete investments, calling for increased resources for central authorities tasked with handling complex cross-border investigation.
Such cases, he noted, often require specialized expertise, advanced financial analysis and sustained legal engagement across multiple jurisdictions.
The EACC chief also pressed for the establishment and strengthening of centralized beneficial ownership registries, arguing that opaque corporate structures remain a major obstacle to asset tracing.
He said registries must be backed by rigorous verification systems, interoperability across borders and effective mechanisms for international information sharing.
"Such systems are essential for uncovering hidden assets and expediting the tracing and repatriation of illicit financial flows across borders," EACC said.
Kenya's participation in the Doha conference, he added, reflects the commission's commitment to combating corruption both at home and abroad by engaging in global efforts to strengthen legal and institutional frameworks for asset recovery.
The UNCAC conference brings together governments, anti-corruption agencies among other parties to assess progress in implementing the convention and to coordinate responses to emerging corruption challenges.
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