
“Kenya, East Africa, and America” – with African Intelligence Chief Wilson Boinett
Summary
Brigadier General (Ret.) Wilson Boinett joins Andrew (Twitter; LinkedIn) to discuss Kenyan intelligence. Wilson is the former Director of Kenya’s National Intelligence Service.
What You’ll Learn
Intelligence
- The effect of colonialism on intelligence
- The organization of Kenya’s National Intelligence Service
- Wilson’s role in adapting and reforming Kenyan intelligence
- The Nairobi bombings and effects on East Africa
Reflections
- Institutional insurgency
- The courage to push for and enact change
And much, much more …
Episode Notes
This week on SpyCast, we are thrilled to be joined by our first ever African intelligence chief. Brigadier General (Ret.) Wilson Boinett is the individual credited with transforming Kenya’s National Intelligence Service into the world-class agency it is today. Following a decades long career in the Kenyan Army, Wilson became the first Director of the newly created intelligence agency in 1999. He believed in the possibly of change and the potential for collaboration amongst East African countries and set out to do just that. Tune in to this week’s episode to learn more about his extraordinary career and lessons in leadership.
This episode is the second in our Spy Chiefs Special series that will run throughout September. Stay tuned in the weeks to come to hear perspectives from Ireland, India, and the first woman to direct an American intelligence organization.
And…
Wilson is a member of the National Defense University International Fellows Hall of Fame, Class of 1991. This prestigious award honors NDU alumni who have achieved the highest ranks of armed forces or government and made a great impact on their country’s national security. It’s safe to say Wilson has more than earned his spot! And, he is in good company – one of our recent SpyCast alumni, Admiral Hernando Wills, Class of 2008.
Quotes of the Week
I was coming in at the time when all those things were happening and the Cold War was over, and the western intelligence did not care very much what Kenya was going to do. So, I had an opportunity to look at this monster called change …. I went to the president, and I said, “I think it is time to change.” And he said, “Go change it.”
Resources
SURFACE SKIM
*SpyCasts*
- David Petraeus on Ukraine & Intelligence with the former CIA Director & 4* General (2023)
- Spies: The Epic Intelligence War Between East vs. West with Calder Walton (2023)
- Irregular Warfare & Intelligence with IWC Director Dennis Walters (2023)
- The 75th Anniversary of the CIA with former Director Robert Gates (2022)
*Beginner Resources*
- A Brief History of Kenya, A. Boddy-Evans, ThoughtCo (2020) [Short Article]
- The Late British Empire, History Matters, YouTube (2017) [Ten-minute video]
- What Was the Mau Mau Uprising? Imperial War Museum (n.d.) [Short article]
DEEPER DIVE
Books
- History of Resistance in Kenya, M. wa Kĩnyattĩ (Mau Mau Research Center, 2019)
- Kenya After 50: Reconfiguring Historical, Political, and Policy Milestones, M. M. Kithinji et al. (Palgrave Macmillan, 2016)
- Population, Tradition, and Environmental Control in Colonial Kenya, M. S. Shanguhyia (University of Rochester Press, 2015)
- Kenya: A History Since Independence, C. Hornsby (I.B. Tauris, 2013)
Articles
- Statement on the 25th Anniversary of the Embassy Bombings in Kenya and Tanzania, A. Blinken, US Mission to the African Union (2023)
- Inside the National Intelligence Service: A Closer Look at Kenya’s Security Apparatus, R. Bwana, Mount Kenya University (2023)
- Kenya’s new spy chief will lead the national intelligence service – what the job is all about, O. G. Mwangi, The Conversation (2023)
- Cross-border Al-Shabaab threat prompts intel rethink, Africa Intelligence (2023)
- Following in Footsteps: The Transformation of Kenya’s Intelligence Services Since the Colonial Era, R. Shaffer, Studies in Intelligence (2019)
- Changing Intelligence Dynamics in Africa, S. Africa et al., GFN-SSR & ASSN (2009)
Video
- A Time There Was: Stories from the Last Days of Kenya Colony, D. McWilliams, National Film Board of Canada (2009)
- Secret History: Mau Mau, Kenya Digital Archives, YouTube (1999)
Primary Sources
- Report of the Accountability Review Boards: Bombings of the US Embassies in Nairobi and Dar es Salaam, US Department of Justice (1999)
- 5 Fugitives Indicted in Embassy Bombings, J. Mintz, The Washington Post (1998)
- The National Security Intelligence Service Act (1998)
- Lancaster House Agreement, United Nations Peacemaker (1979)
- Kenya Independence Act (1963)
- Kenyan Independence Memorandum by the Secretary of State for Commonwealth, UK National Archives (1963)
- Mau Mau Violence – Control Measures, CIA (1953)
- The Situation in Kenya (Mau Mau Uprising), CIA (1952)
- General Act of the Berlin Conference on West Africa, San Diego State University (1885)
*Wildcard Resource*
- Take a trip to Nairobi from your couch and explore the National Museums of Kenya through Google Arts & Culture.
- Explore Kenya’s 7 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, Take a Tour of the Nairobi Gallery, or Learn a Bit of Swahili, one of Kenya’s two official languages!