KENYA ESTABLISHES FIRST FORENSIC LAB LAUNCHED THIS YEAR TO SERVE THE NATION AND WIDER EAST AFRICA REGION.

 Forensic science which is essentially the application of science to criminal and civil laws as an area of study has been somewhat undermined in many countries on the continent. A key explanation for this is the lack of adequate investment into the research facilities that go with the science such as the labs for examination of forensic materials, scientists and technicians with the expertise and technical know how to conduct the tests and analysis on variants such as hair, saliva and other body tissues used for comparing the samples to the DNA  of the suspects in criminal investigations.

Kenya the East African nation has made a big leap, out to have been actualized earlier, ending two decade long wait as the plans to set up the lab we originally set in the 1990s but now coming to fruition with the launching and commissioning of the first forensic lab in the region. The establishment of the first forensic lab means that Kenya will no longer have to send collected samples from crime scenes to south Africa for analysis and it can now be done locally, helping shorten the time needed to solve cases.

The National Forensic Laboratory of Kenya was commissioned by the President Uhuru Kenyatta, thus giving the nation an opportunity to leap benefits from the technology and advanced science in tackling crime in the country and perhaps also help solve some of the most difficult cases for the Department of Criminal Investigations.