The new weapon Kenya is deploying against cybercrime

Kenya Unveils Guide to Standardise Cybercrime Investigation and Prosecution [File, Standard]

Kenya has launched a guide to standardise cybercrime investigations and prosecutions as authorities seek to improve the handling of digital evidence and cross-border cases.

The guide lists 76 cyber offences and provides sample cases, investigative procedures and guidance on preparing charges and identifying evidence required to support prosecutions under the Computer Misuse and Cybercrimes Act.

Internal Security Principal Secretary Raymond Omollo in a statement on Thursday, September 3,  said investigators and prosecutors need a common framework as cybercrime becomes more complex.

“This changing threat landscape demands that our officers are equipped not only to understand the law, but also to follow digital evidence, preserve it properly, and build cases that can withstand the scrutiny of our courts,” Omollo said.

The guide also sets out procedures for law enforcement agencies and prosecutors to work with foreign counterparts, exchange information and obtain and preserve electronic evidence from other jurisdictions.

Omollo said Kenya had committed to sharing cybercrime information with 76 countries, increasing the need for investigators and prosecutors to handle cases that cross national borders.

“This means that our investigators and prosecutors will increasingly be called upon to work across borders, exchange information with foreign counterparts, obtain electronic evidence from other jurisdictions, and build cases that may span several countries,” he noted.

The launch comes as Kenya advances plans to accede to the Budapest Convention on Cybercrime, the first binding international treaty focused on computer-related and internet crime.

The convention seeks to align national cybercrime laws and strengthen cooperation between countries investigating offences involving digital systems.

Kenya faces growing cybercrime risks, with related digital security threats estimated to cost the country about Sh29 billion each year.

Omollo said the new framework would help investigators secure digital evidence and turn intelligence obtained within and outside Kenya into cases that meet the requirements of Kenyan courts.

The guide is also intended to improve consistency between investigators and prosecutors by setting out common procedures from the initial investigation through to prosecution.