Police float forensic laboratory tender in war against crime

The national police forensics lab, one of the Sh60 billion Anglo Leasing projects, is back in the radar after the government placed an international tender for its construction.

The Directorate of Criminal Investigations has invited contractors to build the lab at its Kiambu Road headquarters, several years after the first plan aborted.

The job includes 12 smaller projects like installing Closed Circuit Television cameras (CCTV), incinerators and cabling in the lab. The tender appearing in the Press Wednesday closes in three weeks on October 23.

A fully-equipped forensics lab is expected to assist the police force build a crime database, which includes fingerprint and DNA records. This would enable them close thousands of cases that go cold for failure to nail the suspects to the crime despite compelling circumstantial evidence.

“The Government of Kenya through the Ministry of Interior and Co-ordination of National Government - Directorate of Criminal Investigations invites open tenders from contractors to carry out... proposed police forensics laboratory at CID Headquarters, Kiambu Road, Nairobi,” reads the “open tender invitation” in part.

DCI director Ndegwa Muhoro did not respond to our enquiries, but Sh1.5 billion is provided for the project in this year’s budget.

“...Sh1.5 billion for enhanced crime research and investigation to understand crime dynamics and enable the law enforcers to come up with appropriate strategies for crime prevention,” said Finance secretary Henry Rotich while reading the Budget in June.

Contractors lagging behind in project completion, those who have had a previous contract with government terminated or have defaulted on contracts are barred from the tender.

The Kenya Police Service has routinely blamed its failure to prosecute criminals on the lack of a properly-equipped forensics lab. The entire police force has a single lab that is located at the Directorate of Criminal Investigations headquarters.

The Kenya Wildlife Service last year commissioned the construction of a Sh110 million lab to help prosecute poachers, once again leaving the police force backpedalling.

Former police commissioner Mathew Iteere had advocated for a forensics lab in every county, with the one at the headquarters serving as a national referral unit.

“With the kind of resources allocated for tools, training and equipment, I don’t see how the country can achieve the criminal justice system we deserve,” he said.

The Anglo-Leasing projects came to light in 2007 in what was a shadowy scheme to skim money from the Exchequer, but no stolen funds have been recovered to date.

The dubious projects included the Postal Corporation of Kenya satellite service procurement and the failed second-generation passport scheme.

It also included a communication system for the police, a Sh10 billion tender that was again mired in controversy this year, pitting tenderers Huawei Technologies against ZTE Corporation.

A naval ship, KNS Jasiri, was also bought at a cost of Sh4.6 billion through single sourcing. KNS Jasiri docked at the Mombasa port in August 2012 after years of disputes about its worth and necessity.

To date, only one person, former Home Affairs PS, Sylvester Mwaliko, has been convicted over the Anglo-Leasing contracts. 

He was jailed for three years with the option of a Sh3 million fine -- which he paid – in September last year for his involvement in the passport deal.

The forensics lab tender comes in the wake of renewed government efforts to secure the country given frequent attacks by Al-Shabaab militants following Kenya’s army invasion of Somalia.

Ten days ago, terrorists attacked Westgate Shopping Mall, leaving at least 67 dead, 240 injured and 39 missing.

After the attack, forensic experts from Israel, Canada, the United States and United Kingdom joined Kenyan team to help with analysis of the crime scene.

In the June 2013 budget, Mr. Rotich allocated Sh67 billion to begin the “bold journey to modernise our security.”

“We are putting in place measures that will strengthen the police service including equipping police units in order to increase effectiveness and rapid response to incidents of crime,” Mr Rotich said.

Installation of CCTV cameras at strategic points in the city like main streets, bus stations, markets and roundabouts is one of the measures being funded under the modernisation project.

So far, 42 cameras have already been installed in Nairobi by Chinese firm Nanjing Les Information Technology.

In his budgetary allocations, Mr. Rotich had also set aside Sh3 billion for leasing 1,200 motor vehicles, Sh4.5 billion to enhance security operations and Sh4 billion for purchase of security equipment, including the cameras.