NAIROBI, Kenya Jul 23 – The Interior Ministry has expressed confidence that criminal investigations will lead to more convictions and faster resolution of cases following the international accreditation of Kenya’s Forensic Evidence Management Unit (FEMU), a move expected to strengthen the handling of forensic evidence in court.
Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen said the accreditation, awarded by the ANSI National Accreditation Board (ANAB), marks a turning point in Kenya’s criminal justice system by ensuring that forensic evidence is collected, preserved and presented in line with internationally recognised standards.
Speaking during the handover of the accreditation certificate and the launch of the Multi-Biometric Identification System (MBIS–ABIS Version 5) at the Directorate of Criminal Investigations headquarters on Thursday, Murkomen said the reforms will improve the quality of investigations and increase the likelihood of successful prosecutions.
“This accreditation means our chain of custody for evidence now meets international standards. Evidence will be collected, stored and presented properly, which means stronger prosecutions and more convictions from our courts,” Murkomen said.
He said Kenya’s attainment of Africa’s first internationally accredited Forensic Evidence Management Unit places the country at the forefront of forensic science on the continent while enhancing the credibility of evidence presented before courts.
“It also sends the message that our forensic evidence is now benchmarked globally, and our investigators are better equipped than ever to hold offenders accountable,” he added.
Murkomen said the accreditation is part of a broader shift from traditional policing to a science-driven justice system anchored on technology, professionalism and accountability.
He noted that complaints raised during the government’s Jukwaa la Usalama forums over delayed investigations, poor evidence management and lengthy processing of police clearance certificates had informed the ongoing reforms.
Alongside the accreditation, the ministry unveiled the Multi-Biometric Identification System, which increases Kenya’s fingerprint database capacity from two million to 10 million records and raises daily fingerprint searches from 4,500 to 20,000.
The new system will also reduce the processing time for police clearance certificates from up to 14 days to just 24 hours.
Murkomen said the government plans to integrate the biometric platform with the National Registration Bureau, the Judiciary, Immigration Department and INTERPOL to facilitate real-time identity verification, intelligence sharing and cross-border investigations.
He added that biometric enrolment will be rolled out to police stations across the country to bring forensic services closer to citizens and speed up investigations.
The Interior CS said the government is also seeking international accreditation for the DCI’s Chemistry, Biology, Bomb Disposal and Cyber and Digital Forensics units as it seeks to institutionalise global standards across all investigative functions.
“We will not stop until every police station, every investigator and every forensic unit meets this standard,” Murkomen said.
He said the reforms, implemented under the government’s security modernisation agenda, are intended to ensure that justice is founded on scientific evidence rather than influence while rebuilding public confidence in law enforcement institutions.
