President William Ruto has appealed to the European Union (EU) for help completing reforms to remove Kenya from international financial watch lists.
The removal could ease additional checks on money transfers and other financial transactions involving Europe, according to the president.
Speaking to Heads of EU Delegations on November 12, 2026, Ruto confirmed the country had addressed 13 of the deficiencies identified by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF).
“Having addressed 13 of the 21 Financial Action Task Force strategic deficiencies, Kenya seeks continued technical cooperation to complete the remaining reforms and secure removal from the FATF grey list and EU high-risk list,” Ruto said.
Kenya was placed on the FATF grey list in February 2024 over weaknesses in its systems for preventing money laundering and terrorist financing.
In its October 30, 2026 update, FATF acknowledged Kenya’s progress in strengthening financial supervision, improving suspicious transaction reporting and collecting information on company ownership.
However, it said Kenya still needed to address failures to meet company transparency requirements and increase money laundering investigations and prosecutions.
Kenya is also on the EU high-risk list, effective August 5, 2025, requiring EU-regulated banks and financial institutions to carry out enhanced checks on transactions and business relationships involving the country.
Also Read: Ruto Courts European Powers on Election Observation as He Eyes Second Term
