from MARIA MACHARIA in Nairobi, Kenya
Kenya Bureau
NAIROBI, (CAJ News) – SOUTH Korea and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) have partnered with Kenya to boost the capacity of police officers in the East African country to tackle gender-based violence perpetrated through digital technologies.
The partnership aims to eradicate violations emanating from social media platforms, mobile applications and other online environments.
The parties this past weekend concluded a three-day Capacity Building Workshop on the Investigation of Technology-Facilitated Gender-Based Violence (TFGBV).
Kenya’s National Police Leadership Academy (NPLA) is poised to benefit from the partnership intended to strengthen police officers’ ability to respond to evolving crimes in an increasingly digital society.
David Mathiu, NPLA Commandant, officiated at the closing ceremony.
“The rapid advancement of technology continues to present new policing challenges that require innovative, knowledge-driven and collaborative responses,” he said at the event in Nairobi.
Located in Kajiado, more than 30 kilometres south of the capital, Nairobi, the NPLA is Kenya’s premier institution designed to train and equip senior law enforcement and criminal justice officers with skills for modern, accountable policing.
At the event, participants were upskilled in digital evidence identification, as well as its collection, preservation and documentation, and digital tracking and metadata analysis.
Officers were empowered in the effective case management of technology-facilitated GBV offences.
The just-concluded TFGBV workshop builds on the blossoming relations between Kenya and Korea in the digital space.
They are deepening a strategic partnership anchored by flagship infrastructure at Konza Technopolis, digital government integration and technology transfer.
These collaborative ties, accelerated in 2022, are mainly anchored on AI governance, smart city development and standardised data management across Kenya.
In Kenya, TFGBV is a pervasive crisis driven by high internet penetration.
Perpetrators are increasingly weaponising digital platforms to violate women and marginalised groups.
– CAJ News