President Uhuru Kenyatta made a low-key inspection of a Forensic Laboratory at the Directorate of Criminal Investigations headquarters, Nairobi in what insiders termed as historic.
The president also met top DCI officers led by Director George Kinoti in a closed-door meeting that lasted almost two hours.
It is not clear what was discussed in the Monday afternoon meeting.
He arrived in a slim motorcade and was later driven to the laboratory, which is, according to insiders almost complete and set for official opening probably in May this year.
The insiders said among the places he was taken was to the newly constructed data centre and ballistic rooms.
He was informed experts are busy equipping other key departments ahead of the planned opening.
His visit coincides with the ongoing tour by his Principal Secretaries who are camping at the coast region on a mission to ensure key development projects are on track to deliver expected impact.
TECHNICAL COMMITTEE
The National Development Implementation Technical Committee (NDITC) chaired by Interior PS Karanja Kibicho is seeking to optimize the efficiency and impact of Mombasa Port, the Container Terminal 2, and the new Kipevu Oil Terminal among other projects.
The Committee will also review the progress made in implementing key interventions agreed on by various agencies last year towards addressing complaints raised by freighters and port users over inefficiencies at the facility.
The construction of the laboratory had stalled for years after it was embroiled in corruption in past regimes.
Insiders say the equipping exercise at the laboratory is being supervised by Kinoti and senior National Intelligence Service officials led by the director-general Philip Kameru.
This will aid in solving some of the complex crimes that go unsolved. Some Sh335 million was 2021 allocated for equipping the National Forensic Laboratory.
But more money is needed to complete the exercise and a number of foreign countries have joined in helping to equip it.
At the laboratory, there are different sections, including fingerprints, ballistics, cybercrime, document examination, economic crimes, toxicology, biological and chemistry sections.
One of the biggest sections there will be Digital Forensic Laboratory, whose overall function will be to identify, seize, acquire and analyse all electronic devices related to all cyber-enabled offences reported.
This is so as to collect digital evidence that will be presented in a court of law for prosecution.
The DFL is divided into subunits, each outlining specific roles and responsibilities of the Digital Forensics Analysts.
Edited by D Tarus
