Reinforcing Protection of the Kenya Border shared with Somalia

The U.S. Department of State Bureau of Counterterrorism is soliciting applications for a 15-month cooperative agreement to strengthen counterterrorism capabilities of Kenya's Administrative Police Services along the Kenya-Somalia border, with applications due June 10, 2026, at 5:00 p.m. EDT. One award ranging from $200,000 to $5,920,078 is anticipated, with total available funding of $5,920,078 pending availability.

Eligible applicants include not-for-profit organizations, educational institutions, for-profit organizations, and public international organizations. No cost share or matching requirement is stated. The program targets one advanced tactical law enforcement unit tasked with securing the border near Manda Bay Military Base in Lamu County, Kenya, through three lines of effort: low-light and night-vision capability, unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) for intelligence, reconnaissance, and surveillance (ISR), and organic explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) capability. The program start date is anticipated for September 30, 2026.

Required activities include assessment of the unit's capabilities and deployment of at least one embedded mentor; the mentor need not be a U.S. citizen but must be fluent in English and preferably have prior Kenyan law enforcement experience. Training will occur exclusively in Kenya unless compelling justification exists for offshore instruction. The Government of Kenya will provide live-fire ranges, demolition facilities, training venues, certified instructors, transportation, lodging, and food. All UAS platforms must be Federal Approved Supplier Category (FASC) compliant; applicants bear full responsibility for ITAR/EAR licensing, export compliance, and customs clearance. Equipment transfers to the Government of Kenya upon program conclusion, with the U.S. retaining ongoing end-use monitoring obligations.

Evaluation criteria, in order of importance, are Quality and Feasibility of Program Idea (30 points), Organizational Capacity and Record on Previous Grants (20 points), Program Planning and Ability to Achieve Program Outcomes (15 points), Monitoring and Evaluation (15 points), Budget (10 points), and Sustainability (10 points). Applications must include mandatory federal forms (SF-424, SF-424A, SF-424B where applicable), a proposal not exceeding 12 pages, budget justification, logic models, performance monitoring plans including at least two output-level indicators and one outcome-level indicator per outcome, risk analyses, and letters of support. All applicants must obtain a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) and maintain active SAM.gov registration. Leahy Vetting requires a six-week lead time as an early program activity. The opportunity is funded under CFDA 19.701 (Global Counterterrorism Programs) using FY25/26 Nonproliferation, Antiterrorism, Demining and Related Programs (NADR) funds.