United Against Wildlife Crime: LATF Backs Kenya and Tanzania in Intensifying Cross-Border Security Cooperation

Mwanza, Tanzania | 27-30 October 2026

Lusaka Agreement Task Force (LATF) participated in the 32nd Tanzania–Kenya Wildlife Cross-Border Security Meeting and at the 3rd Joint Directors’ Meeting, held at Adden Palace Hotel in Mwanza, Tanzania. The four-day meetings brought together wildlife law enforcement agencies from the two neighbouring countries to strengthen regional cooperation, enhance operational coordination and develop practical strategies for addressing transnational wildlife crime across their shared ecosystems.

Stretching over 750 kilometres, the Kenya–Tanzania common border traverses extensive wilderness landscapes, protected areas and community settlements. While these shared ecosystems support rich biodiversity and interconnected wildlife populations, their vast and porous nature presents significant law enforcement challenges that require sustained cooperation, intelligence-led interventions and coordinated cross-border operations.

Delegates of the 3 rd Kenya-Tanzania Wildlife Directors Meeting

The meetings brought together 45 delegates representing key wildlife management and enforcement institutions from both countries. Kenya was represented by the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) and Narok County Government, which oversees the Maasai Mara National Reserve. Tanzania’s delegation comprised representatives from Tanzania National Parks (TANAPA), Tanzania Wildlife Authority (TAWA), Ngorongoro Conservation Area Authority (NCAA) and Tanzania Forest Services (TFS). LATF supported the engagements as part of its continuing mandate to strengthen regional cooperation and facilitate collaborative enforcement against illegal trade in wild fauna and flora. 

Strengthening Security Across Shared Ecosystems

The deliberations focused on emerging wildlife security threats and operational challenges across three critical transboundary landscapes: Tsavo/Mkomazi, Amboseli/Kilimanjaro and Serengeti/Maasai Mara ecosystems. Participants examined existing enforcement interventions, exchanged operational experiences and explored opportunities to harmonise strategies, strengthen institutional collaboration and improve the effectiveness of joint responses to wildlife crime.

Delegates of the 32 nd Kenya-Tanzania Cross Border Wildlife Security Meeting

Delivering remarks on behalf of the Director General of KWS, the Head of the Kenyan Delegation, Mr. Jillo Arero, Director of Security at KWS, underscored the significant progress achieved through sustained cooperation between the two countries. He observed that the longstanding partnership had played a pivotal role in strengthening wildlife security, safeguarding critical habitats, enhancing operational coordination and building professional relationships among wildlife enforcement officers.

He commended the dedication and commitment of officers serving under the cross-border cooperation framework, emphasising that the protection of shared wildlife resources must remain a collective responsibility founded on mutual trust, institutional collaboration and coordinated action.

Notwithstanding these achievements, Mr. Arero highlighted persistent challenges along the common border, including bushmeat poaching, illegal wildlife trade, habitat destruction through bushfires and other emerging conservation security threats. He called for enhanced intelligence-led operations, institutionalisation of periodic joint enforcement operations and greater deployment of modern technologies to strengthen surveillance, monitoring and operational effectiveness.

A Unified Front Against Transnational Wildlife Crime

The Chief Guest, Mr. Abdul Lazaq-Badru, representing Tanzania’s Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism, officially opened the 3rd Joint Directors’ Meeting. He described the gathering as a demonstration of the two countries’ shared determination to confront increasingly sophisticated criminal networks that operate across national boundaries and threaten their common natural heritage.

He emphasized that combating such networks requires the two countries to move beyond institutional and communication barriers and operate as a coordinated enforcement network. He highlighted the importance of synchronised intelligence, seamless communication, pooled resources, shared expertise and sustained political commitment as essential instruments for closing enforcement gaps and denying wildlife traffickers opportunities to exploit jurisdictional boundaries.

In a speech read on his behalf by Mr. Renatus Kusamba, Field Officer, the LATF Director reaffirmed the importance of strengthened regional collaboration in protecting wildlife and addressing organised environmental crime. He underscored the need for unified intelligence gathering and sharing, technological innovation, coordinated enforcement interventions and meaningful engagement with communities living along the shared border.

He further emphasised that the success of the cross-border meetings should not be measured merely by the exchange of information or adoption of resolutions, but by tangible enforcement outcomes, particularly the disruption of criminal networks, successful investigations and prosecution of wildlife crime offenders. He urged participating institutions to translate their commitments into practical, measurable and time-bound actions, supported by clear institutional responsibilities and effective follow-up mechanisms.

From Deliberations to Coordinated Action

The three-day engagements culminated in an actionable framework aimed at strengthening collaborative enforcement and addressing identified operational gaps. Key priority interventions included:

• Timely intelligence sharing: Strengthening real-time exchange of actionable intelligence to facilitate early identification and disruption of wildlife trafficking networks.
• Parallel investigations: Enhancing coordinated investigations into wildlife crime cases with cross-border links to ensure that criminal networks are pursued beyond individual jurisdictions.
• Data and information sharing: Improving the exchange of operational information, intelligence records and emerging wildlife crime trends between participating institutions.
• Synchronized field operations: Conducting simultaneous transboundary patrols, surveillance and monitoring across identified wildlife crime hotspots.
• Community engagement and incentives: Strengthening community participation in wildlife protection through awareness, collaboration and appropriate incentives for reporting suspicious activities.
• Emerging trafficking trends: Enhancing surveillance and monitoring of evolving trafficking methods, particularly the illegal capture and cross-border trafficking of live wildlife, including birds.

Sustaining the Kenya–Tanzania Cross-Border Partnership

The meetings reaffirmed the importance of sustained institutional cooperation in addressing wildlife crime across the Kenya–Tanzania shared ecosystems. They also provided an important platform for reviewing the effectiveness of existing interventions, identifying emerging threats and strengthening mechanisms for coordinated enforcement.

Through its participation and continued facilitation of regional cooperation, LATF remains committed to supporting its Member States in translating cross-border commitments into effective operational responses. The emphasis on intelligence-led investigations, synchronised patrols, technological advancement and community resilience reflects a shared recognition that wildlife crime cannot be effectively addressed through isolated national interventions.

Ultimately, the success of the Kenya–Tanzania partnership will depend on the consistent implementation of agreed resolutions, accountability among participating institutions and the collective determination to close the loopholes exploited by transnational wildlife criminals. By strengthening cooperation across borders, the two countries are reinforcing a united front to protect their shared biodiversity and secure the future of their interconnected ecosystems.