The Mattei Plan continues to foster ever-closer ties between Italy and Kenya. Following visits by Italian ministers and undersecretaries over the past two years, which have strengthened cooperation in the fields of the economy, development cooperation, scientific research, technological innovation and education, the focus has now shifted to security, with a new development that further expands the partnership between Rome and Nairobi.
The choice of Kenya as a priority country has been the key to unlocking a promising treasure trove, brimming with mutual opportunities.
From development cooperation to trade, from artificial intelligence to university research, right through to security and the management of migration flows. The dialogue between Italy and Kenya continues to broaden, confirming the East African country as one of Rome’s strategic partners on the continent, including within the framework of the Mattei Plan. A new sector, considered strategic by both governments, has now been added to this process: that of security.
It is in this context – though not exclusively – that the official visit by our Minister of the Interior, Matteo Piantedosi, to Nairobi should be viewed. This marks the first time ever in Italian history that a Minister of the Interior has visited Kenya. Piantedosi met his Kenyan counterpart, Kipchumba Murkomen, and the First Secretary to the Cabinet, Musalia Mudavadi, and took part in the signing of a letter of intent which constitutes the first step towards a bilateral cooperation agreement in the field of security, due to be formalised in the coming months.

Not only that, but for the first time, two senior Kenyan state officials jointly paid tribute to an Italian minister by attending a reception in his honour at the residence of the Italian Ambassador, Vincenzo Del Monaco.
This is further evidence of increasingly close and meaningful relations.
Over the past two years, Kenya has been one of the key focal points of Italy’s renewed strategy towards Africa. Since the launch of the Mattei Plan, Nairobi has hosted numerous Italian institutional missions, attended by ministers (most recently, Minister Bernini), deputy ministers and undersecretaries, who have helped to strengthen cooperation in a wide range of areas: from trade to investment, from scientific research to technological innovation, and from university education to development cooperation.
The agreement signed confirms the two countries’ commitment to strengthening collaboration on issues of mutual interest, particularly in preventing and combating transnational organised crime, managing migration flows and consolidating relations between their respective institutions and police forces.
Piantedosi himself confirmed this to malindikenya.net: “My visit to Nairobi is not merely for a signing ceremony, but to launch an important process in which Kenya has been identified as a partner on migration policy; in this context, aligning our approaches to security is fundamental, but it is also only the first step”. For the Minister of the Interior, Italy’s strategic position in the Mediterranean and Kenya’s importance as a hub for sub-Saharan Africa represent one of the cornerstones of relations between Europe and Africa.
The plan is to include Kenya among the countries considered safe in terms of migration flows, and to propose to the European Union that it align its approach with that taken towards countries such as India, Colombia, Bangladesh, Kosovo and Tunisia. This would also open up opportunities for work and training in Italy for Kenyans.
First Secretary Mudavadi, who was recently in Rome for the meeting between Ruto and Giorgia Meloni, highlighted the historic visit by an Interior Minister as a further sign of the excellent relations between the two countries, confirming the opening up of new avenues for collaboration.
During the ceremony, Murkomen emphasised how Kenya appreciates the integrated approach adopted by Italy, which links economic development, migration management and security, viewing them as closely interlinked elements.
The signing of the letter of intent was also attended by the Italian Ambassador to Kenya, Vincenzo Del Monaco, Under-Secretary Raymond Omollo, Under-Secretary for Immigration and Citizenship Services Belio Kipsang, and other representatives of the governments of the two countries.
The document also provides a framework for developing ever-closer cooperation between the police authorities of the two countries in the fight against criminal organisations operating across national borders.
Italy’s experience serves as a model for the public security modernisation programme launched by the Kenyan government, as confirmed to malindikenya.net by the Chief of Police in Nairobi, Adamson Bungei. In recent weeks, a delegation led by the Under-Secretary for Internal Security, Raymond Omollo, visited various facilities of the Italian security forces to gain a deeper understanding of the coordination systems and policing techniques that could contribute to the future operations of the new