DCI National Forensic Laboratory is a game-changer in crime investigations, says President Kenyatta

By Samuel Ouma [caption id="attachment_97341" align="alignnone" width="1280"] DCI Forensic Lab[/caption] President Uhuru Kenyatta officially launched the National Forensic Laboratory of the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) on Monday, June 13, 2022. President Kenyatta said during the launch at the DCI headquarters in Nairobi that the new cutting-edge facility will boost the DCI's ability to unravel complex crimes and support the criminal justice system through evidence-based investigations. He went on to say that the new forensic laboratory will also make it easier to reconstruct events and identify suspects using validated and internationally accepted methods. "The evidence-led investigation enabled through these enhanced forensic capabilities will also steer the modernization of the Directorate of Criminal Investigations and ensure the Directorate meets the international policing norms and standards. “As a supplementary dividend, it will also protect our police officers from unfounded allegations that have been there in the past,” President Kenyatta said. He added that the cutting-edge facility will also aid in the investigation of capital offences such as murder and robbery with violence, as well as combating emerging and transitional organized crimes such as terrorism, drug trafficking, illicit arms trade, counterfeiting, smuggling, and wildlife crimes. Noting that crime has radically evolved and spread into new frontiers over the last two decades, President Kenyatta stated that the new centre will modernize investigative procedures through cutting-edge technology, culminating in a safer and more just Kenya for all. “In that regard, this national undertaking is expected to disrupt established criminal patterns by forensic laboratory techniques, crime scene techniques, documentation, and proper transportation of exhibits while maintaining the chain of custody as well as customs and borders security,” he said. The Head of State named sim swapping and the typical "tuma kwa hii number" syndicate as two of the crimes that the DCI national forensic laboratory will deal with. The ultra-modern facility is one of its kind in Eastern and Central Africa.