The National Intelligence Service has lobbied the National Assembly to add a requirements in a proposed law.
The agency lobbied the requirements to the National Assembly’s Administration and National Security committee be added in the Narcotics, Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (Control) Amendment Bill. The Bill is headed for a second reading in the National Assembly.
In the bill, landlords and property owners will be required to keep a registry of tenants which contains personal details such as names, postal addresses, phone numbers and emails. They will also be expected to conduct due diligence or background checks on tenants to include their employment station and home country for easy tracking. We last had a census in 2019 and the results revealed that we have 4.66 million households that reported living in rented dwellings.
MPs agreed with NIS recommendations where if passed will punish property owners who allow their premises to be used as stations for manufacture and trading in drugs. They could face a fine of not less than 20 million or imprisonment of not less than 10 years or both. The committee also backed fines of upto 50 million or three times the value of narcotics and 50 years in jail where one is found trafficking more than 100g of narcotics. Those found peddling less than 100g will part with Kshs 30 million and serve 30 years in prison.
This amendment Bill comes after another amendment Bill that seeks to fine Kenyans 1 million for refusing to disclose messages that are deemed to breach national security.
