Police retrained to handle gender-based violence

The fight against gender-based violence (GBV) has received a significant boost following the validation of a new training curriculum for the National Police Service (NPS).

The College Opportunity-Based Curriculum for Volunteer Service Providers is designed to strengthen officers’ capacity to handle GBV, technology-facilitated GBV (TF-GBV), and related cases.

The curriculum, developed under the Policare framework, integrates human rights principles, psychosocial support and modern investigative approaches on GBV-related cases, in a move aimed at addressing gaps in police training that have often been blamed for cases of brutality, mishandling of victims and violations of human rights.

Speaking during the external validation exercise, which brought together stakeholders from government, civil society, and academia, NPS Inspector General Douglas Kanja, in a speech delivered on his behalf, described the initiative as a turning point in building a professional, coordinated and survivor-centred police response to SGBV-related cases.

“Sexual violence remains a serious threat to human dignity, public safety, and social stability. It demands a response that is not only effective but also coordinated and professional,” the IG said.

Kanja said the curriculum adopts a competency-based approach, shifting from theoretical training to practical skills that will enable officers to respond and attend to survivors with dignity, accountability and efficiency.

“We must ensure that every survivor who comes forward encounters a system that is responsive, empathetic and competent,” Kanja added.

For years, human rights organisations have called for reforms in police training, citing gaps in handling GBV cases, a lack of sensitivity towards victims, and an inadequate understanding of emerging forms of violence.

The curriculum seeks to address these challenges by equipping officers with technical and soft skills, including counselling and communication.

The training modules cover critical areas such as survivor-centred communication, forensic evidence management, technology facilitation, case analysis programmes, medical report organisation, child protection, case management, confidentiality, professional ethics and inter-agency cooperation.

“These areas reflect both global best practices and our local realities, ensuring that the curriculum is implementable. It adopts a confidence-based approach, which aligns with the government’s broader education and training reforms,” said the IG.

“Most importantly, it strengthens our collective ability to provide timely, coordinated, and dignified support to survivors,” he added, calling on stakeholders to refine the curriculum to ensure it meets the needs of both victims and service providers.

Among the stakeholders involved in the development of the curriculum are Save the Children International and Nairobi Women’s Hospital Gender Violence Recovery Centre, who developed the first 16 modules, mainly touching on child protection and survivor care.

Centre for Rights Education and Awareness and Search for Common Ground were involved in financing the development of the TF-GBV training module.

The National Police Service Commission emphasised that embedding of human rights in police training is critical and aligns with constitutional requirements.

“The inclusion of human rights training as a core component of this curriculum is both timely and necessary. It resonates strongly with the constitutional imperative to uphold the highest standards of competence and integrity and to respect human rights,” said Acting Director of Policy and Legal Affairs Eunice Nyong’a, who represented the commission.

Nyong’a emphasised that GBV response requires empathy and professionalism, particularly as officers often engage with victims at their most vulnerable moments.

She also highlighted the need for confidentiality and data protection, noting that officers are entrusted with sensitive information that must be handled with utmost care to maintain public trust.

“The curriculum must therefore go beyond technical instruction to instil a culture of confidentiality, responsibility and accountability, ensuring that the information shared by survivors is safeguarded with the highest standards of care, thereby reinforcing public trust,” she said.

“By equipping officers with skills in counselling and psychosocial care, we move towards a more holistic response to SGBV that recognises that healing extends beyond the physical and legal dimensions to the emotional and psychological well-being of those affected,” she added.

The Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) welcomed the curriculum, stating that it will enhance professionalism and accountability within the police service.