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eLearning innovation to boost probation services in Kenya

28 April 2022, Nairobi - In a first for Kenya’s Ministry of Interior and Coordination of National Government and its Probation and After Care Service (PACS), an innovative Blended Induction Programme was launched today to boost the skills and knowledge of new probation officers.

The induction programme blends the latest in eLearning with traditional face-to-face training and is the result of a partnership between UNODC, PACS, European Union and the Kenya School of Government. 

With the European Union’s financial support, UNODC has provided technical assistance to PACS since 2019 to help develop this induction training programme, commencing with a comprehensive training needs assessment which informed the creation of an induction curriculum and training manual, and their adaptation to an eLearning environment. 

Cabinet Secretary Dr Fred Matiangi, Principal Secretary Hon. Safina Kwekwe, the EU Ambassador to Kenya, Ms Henriette Geiger, and UNODC’s Deputy Regional Representative for Eastern Africa, Ms Sylvie Bertrand, were among the guests at the launch held at the Kenya School of Government in Nairobi. 

“The EU is pleased to support a major phase of growth and professionalization for Kenya’s Probation and After Care Service in its pursuit of a just, secure and crime-free society,” Ambassador Geiger said. 

“With 600 newly-recruited probation officers and a further 400 due to join the Service in the next year, this tailored induction programme is vital so that they’re equipped with the requisite skills and knowledge to deliver the high standards of justice services that Kenyans expect,” Ambassador Geiger said. 

The first session of the PACS Blended Induction Programme will involve 300 recently-recruited probation officers – many of whom attended the launch – and is due to commence next month. 

Ms Bertrand, said government leadership has supported PACS to be among the first departments to embrace the ‘new normal’ of eLearning in the age of digitalization ushered in by COVID-19. 

“UNODC congratulates the Probation and After Care Service on this breakthrough in training which incorporates eLearning with in-person sessions to effectively induct Kenya’s next generation of probation officers while achieving cost savings and improved efficiency gains,” Ms Bertrand said. 

The training modules cover essential probation skills including interviewing, offender supervision and evidence-based offender rehabilitation and treatment approaches, reintegration and resettlement, and crime prevention, among other topics. 

The online training component is hosted by KSG, made possible with European Union funding through the Programme for Legal Empowerment and Aid Delivery in Kenya (PLEAD). 

After completing online modules, the first cohorts of new probation officers will undertake the face-to-face component at one of three KSG campuses – Baringo, Embu and Mombasa – before they complete their induction programme in June. 

During the hybrid launch, the Kenya Prison Service Band entertained the audience of more than 450 people. 

More information

What is probation?

Probation is an alternative to imprisonment whereby an offender who is found guilty of an offence is given an order by a court of law to serve a supervised sentence in the community. The order requires the offender to be under the supervision of a Probation Officer for a specified period. Such supervised sentences are known as non-custodial correctional orders or sanctions. 

For more information about the mandate and work of the The training modules cover essential probation skills including interviewing, offender supervision and evidence-based offender rehabilitation and treatment approaches, reintegration and resettlement, and crime prevention, among other topics.