AWF and KWS Conduct Writeshop for Law Enforcement Academy Curriculum

Last week African Wildlife Foundation (AWF) and Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) conducted a writeshop at the KWS Training Institute in Naivasha to analyze the needs and gaps of the KWS Law Enforcement Academy curriculum at Manyani. KWS developed a questionnaire, which they disbursed to their personnel throughout the country to be filled. The questionnaire was divided into three sections: the first section focusing on employee details, the second paying attention to skills review, and the last section’s cornerstone was the challenges encountered, and resources lacking.

The writeshop is part of a grant funded by the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) titled ‘Countering Wildlife Trafficking in Kenya.' The project is being implemented by AWF and IFAW. The first objective of the grant is to build interdiction, investigative and enforcement capacity to stop the poaching and transit of protected wildlife and one of the activities under this objective is to audit law enforcement training at KWS Law Enforcement Academy. 

Speaking at the training, AWF Legal Officer, Wildlife Law Enforcement Program Cynthia Kavu said, “AWF is confident that through this writeshop, AWF and KWS will be able to highlight the gaps that currently exist in the KWS Law Enforcement Academy curriculum and therefore elicit information on the quality of the training, application of the skills acquired during the training, and gaps in the application of skills including lack of relevant equipment and reference materials.”

The results of the writeshop will be an analysis of the information gathered from the questionnaire and a report meant to determine what needs to be streamlined into the KWS Law Enforcement Academy curriculum.