Kenyan police trained by Turkey receive certificates

By Andrew Wasike

NAIROBI, Kenya (AA) – Dozens of Kenyan police who have been on a one-week long training by a team of Turkish police to fight crime and terrorism were awarded certificates on Friday.

With the coordination of the Directorate General of Security in Turkey, Turkey's aid agency, the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA), ran the training program in a bid to improve Kenya’s law enforcement agencies.

"Especially the anti-smuggling part… I have learned more things in anti-smuggling, there are some various complicated ways smugglers use to smuggle things in the country, being an instructor who trains people who guard our borders," Senior inspector Welmah Binsari Mirwoba told Anadolu Agency. "I will impart this knowledge to my students".

Njenga Simon from the National Police Service Random Deployment Unit (RDU), who also received a certificate, thanked Turkey for training Kenya police.

"The course we just completed dealing with smuggling, counterfeit, terror and human smuggling…all those will add to our experiences, we will cascade the same to officers who are down in the field to make our country better," said Simon.

Emre Yuksek, the TIKA coordinator in Kenya, said Turkey will continue the courses based on the demands and needs of the Kenyan police service

"Both sides agreed to continue to fight against terrorism, organized crime and armed smuggling, we have congratulated and issued the trainees with certificates," said Yuksek.

Turkey's Ambassador to Kenya Ahmet Cemil Miroglu was also present at the ceremony.

The trainees were taught on criminal investigation methods and strategies for national security, identification, criteria, and characteristics of the crime organization, organized crime investigations systematics, weapons, ammunition, and dangerous substance smuggling, among many other areas.

The dozens of trainees also learned about laundering offenses and the terror financing, which is chocking under massive corruption in Kenya. They were also trained on corruption and financial offenses investigation methods.