Certificate of good conduct goes digital, to be issued in 24hrs
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Police clearance certificates that once took weeks to process can now be issued within a day following the launch of a new biometric identification system aimed at transforming Kenya’s criminal investigations.
The breakthrough comes as Kenya also became the first country in Africa to attain international accreditation for its police forensic evidence management system, marking a major milestone in efforts to modernise criminal investigations and strengthen the administration of justice.
The twin milestones, the launch of the Multi-Biometric Identification System (MBIS) Version 5 and the handover of the ANSI National Accreditation Board (ANAB) accreditation certificate to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations’ (DCI) Forensic Evidence Management Unit, were unveiled Thursday at the DCI headquarters in Nairobi.
The new indentification system replaces the Automated Palm and Fingerprint Identification System introduced in 2016 and integrates fingerprints, palm prints and facial recognition into one secure platform.
The system increases biometric record capacity from two million to 10 million records while reducing the turnaround time for police clearance certificates, commonly known as certificates of good conduct, from up to 14 days to 24 hours.
Under the new system, applicants will begin the process through the eCitizen portal by selecting DCI services, applying for a police clearance certificate and paying the Sh1,050 application fee.
They will then choose a police station or Huduma Centre where their fingerprints and other biometric details will be captured, and select their preferred appointment date.
Once they present themselves for biometric capture, the entire process from fingerprinting to issuance of the certificate is expected to take less than three minutes under optimal conditions.
The first group of applicants who had arrived at DCI headquarters yesterday received their certificates within three minutes.
Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen described the development as a defining moment in Kenya’s transition to technology-driven policing.
“Today marks a defining moment in the transformation of Kenya’s security architecture,” Mr Murkomen said, adding that the reforms demonstrated the government’s commitment to modernisation, institutional reform and improved service delivery.
He said the government plans to integrate the system with the National Registration Bureau, Judiciary, Immigration Department and Interpol, allowing investigators to verify identities in real time while improving criminal investigations and public service delivery.
At the same event, Kenya received the ANAB accreditation, making its Forensic Evidence Management Unit the first internationally accredited police forensic evidence management facility in Africa.
The certification confirms that the DCI’s evidence handling processes meet internationally recognised standards in the collection, preservation, storage and presentation of forensic exhibits, strengthening the chain of custody from crime scenes to courtrooms.
Inspector-General of Police Douglas Kanja said the achievements represented years of reforms aimed at transforming the National Police Service into a modern, technology-driven institution.
“These events mark a major step forward in our pursuit of a modern, efficient and technology-driven National Police Service,” Mr Kanja said.
He described the National Police Service Forensic Laboratory as “a jewel of our investigative architecture” that has evolved into the engine of modern criminal investigations.
“The laboratory offers accurate forensic analysis and evidence examination, significantly enhancing the effectiveness of investigations for the National Police Service and all other law enforcement agencies alike,” he said.
DCI Director Mohammed Amin said the accreditation placed Kenya among jurisdictions that meet global standards in forensic evidence management.
“This achievement instils greater confidence among investigators in the integrity and reliability of our forensic evidence. It strengthens prosecutions, reinforces judicial trust in our processes and reassures the Kenyan public that evidence is handled with the highest levels of professionalism,” Mr Amin said.
He added that the upgraded MBIS platform would improve suspect identification and biometric analysis through electronic applications, digital fingerprint capture, real-time tracking and faster issuance of police clearance certificates.
Director of Public Prosecutions Renson Igonga welcomed the reforms, saying they would strengthen criminal prosecutions by enabling courts to accurately determine whether suspects were first-time or repeat offenders.
“When we prosecute, we are expected by the court to say whether this person is a first offender or a perennial offender. But in most cases, we have been unable to do that because our systems have been manual,” Mr Igonga said.
“But with what I have seen today, I am certain we will now be able to tell the court the truth and the facts that will help us fight criminal gangs.”
He said the strengthened forensic evidence management system would also improve the credibility of scientific evidence by protecting its integrity from collection at crime scenes to presentation in court.
Reporting originally appeared via Nation Africa. Read the full source for additional context.