NAIROBI, Kenya, June 9 – The Competition Authority of Kenya (CAK) has launched the first phase of its forensic laboratory project, investing Sh45 million to enhance its ability to gather credible evidence in competition-related investigations.
According to CAK Director General David Kemei, the move is aimed at addressing past challenges in obtaining verifiable evidence capable of standing up in court or under legal scrutiny.
The forensic lab, equipped with advanced software and digital tools, enables the Authority to extract and analyze data from computers, phones, servers, and even cloud storage of entities suspected of violating competition laws.
“This forensic lab allows us to obtain information from our clients, process it, analyze it using the tools we have bought, and then get the evidence that can stand scrutiny,” said Kemei.
“When we did investigations in the past, we had challenges in getting and obtaining credible evidence. We have now invested in a forensic lab, which gives us the ability to obtain credible evidence that can stand the test of time and even before the court.”
The Sh45 million spent so far covers Phase One of the project.
The authority says it’s keen on a gradual expansion approach to match budgetary realities.
Once fully developed, the forensic lab is expected to significantly enhance CAK’s enforcement capacity, especially in complex digital market investigations.
