NAIROBI, Kenya, Feb 28 — The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) has rolled out specialized training for prosecutors aimed at prioritizing money laundering cases and strengthening anti-money laundering (AML) strategies, in a renewed push to help Kenya exit the Financial Action Task Force’s grey list by June 2026.Kenya was placed on the grey list by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) in February 2024 over what it termed strategic deficiencies in the country’s anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing framework.The listing subjects the country to increased monitoring and has implications for investor confidence and cross-border financial transactions.In a statement, the ODPP said it has adopted multiple strategies to combat money laundering.“The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions has employed different strategies to ensure that illicit proceeds are identified, restrained, and confiscated, and that money laundering ceases to be a low-risk activity,” ODPP said.The training, conducted in collaboration with the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ) under the Strengthening Good Governance in Kenya Project, focuses on improving prosecutorial prioritization of money laundering offences and enhancing investigative coordination.Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions Joseph Gitonga Riungu, in remarks delivered on his behalf by Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions Mercy Gateru, said the program aligns with Kenya’s obligations under FATF standards and the regional framework of the Eastern and Southern Africa Anti-Money Laundering Group (ESAAMLG).He underscored the ODPP’s central role in “following the money,” noting that prosecutors must act not only as courtroom advocates but also as strategic actors in the criminal justice chain.“Effective AML enforcement, he noted, requires early prosecutorial engagement, careful handling of financial evidence, and sustained collaboration with investigators, particularly where money appears to move, mutate, and disappear across accounts and identities,” he said.Participants in the Machakos-based training shared practical challenges encountered in prosecuting AML cases and discussed strategies to strengthen outcomes.Trainers used case studies to provide hands-on exposure to real-world investigative and prosecutorial scenarios, sharpening analytical skills and refining charge-framing strategies in both money laundering and related predicate offences.The ODPP said the initiative reflects a deliberate institutional effort to raise the quality, consistency, and impact of money laundering prosecutions, directly supporting Kenya’s broader reform agenda and its commitment to exit the FATF grey list within the stipulated timeline.Participants identified the lack of comprehensive statistics on money laundering as a major challenge, emphasizing the need for stronger coordination among the ODPP, the Financial Reporting Centre (FRC), and the Assets Recovery Agency (ARA) to ensure successful prosecutions and asset recovery.