NAIVASHA, Kenya — Kenya’s fight against cybercrime has received a major boost after more than 50 magistrates completed a specialised Commonwealth training programme designed to improve the handling of cyber-related cases and electronic evidence in court.
The three-day workshop, held in Naivasha from 12 to 14 November 2025, was organised by the Commonwealth Secretariat in partnership with the Kenya Judiciary Academy (KJA) and supported by the UK Government.
The training focused on enhancing judicial capacity to tackle online offences such as phishing scams and malicious deepfakes, as well as offline crimes involving digital trails, including fraud, harassment, and offences coordinated through social media.
Magistrates worked through mock cybercrime scenarios to deepen their understanding of domestic laws, international treaties, and how mutual legal assistance applies during investigations and prosecutions.
The sessions also addressed key challenges around collecting, preserving, and authenticating electronic evidence — critical steps to ensure such evidence is admissible and reliable in court.
Supreme Court Justice Smokin Wanjala, Director of the Kenya Judiciary Academy, described the digital space as a “double-edged sword,” offering opportunities but also enabling new forms of harm.
He noted that delivering justice in cybercrime matters demands both legal knowledge and technological literacy.
“We must not lose sight of the human dimension of cybercrime as real victims,” he said, stressing that judicial officers must balance technological understanding with empathy and fairness.
Justice Wanjala said the training aligns with the Judiciary’s goal of building a workforce that is “legally astute, digitally aware, globally informed and institutionally prepared” to respond to cyber threats.
Participants reported a significant improvement in confidence when handling complex electronic evidence.
Eddah Agade, Principal Magistrate in Mukurweini, described earlier encounters with cybercrime cases as dealing with a “bottomless pit.” She said the training helped her understand concepts such as hash values and metadata, which are essential in verifying the integrity of digital evidence.
“That evidence is the bridge between a crime and conviction,” she said. “I will now be better equipped to evaluate the merits of electronic evidence and deliver justice.”
Ewan Smith, Head of Cyber Incident Response and Cybercrime Programmes at the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), said the urgency of such training is driven by rising cyber threats. INTERPOL data shows cyber-attacks in African countries have increased by 25pc year-on-year.
He emphasised that bringing magistrates together from multiple regions fosters peer learning and builds a stronger national response network. “Together, we will continue to make meaningful progress in our shared fight against cybercrime,” he said.
Commonwealth Assistant Secretary-General Professor Luis G. Franceschi highlighted that similar training programmes in other countries have led to a 50pc improvement in how judicial officers handle electronic evidence. He expressed hope that Kenya would record similar outcomes.
He encouraged the participants to remain committed despite the complexity of cybercrime. “We cannot guarantee success, but we guarantee failure by giving up,” he said. “So, do not give up.”
Since 2018, the Commonwealth Secretariat’s Cyber Unit has trained more than 2,000 law enforcement officers, prosecutors, and judicial officials across 55 member countries.
