DCI ALLOCATED MILLIONS TO SPY ON SOCIAL MEDIA ACTIVITY

The Budget and Appropriations Committee, chaired by Alego Usonga MP Sam Atandi, has proposed a major boost to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) through new budget allocations.

The committee has set aside Ksh150 million for the procurement and implementation of Optimus 3.0, a powerful surveillance system that can track social media activity in Kenya. Out of this, Ksh50 million will go toward purchasing the equipment, while Ksh100 million will support its ongoing operation within the DCI Forensic Lab.

These allocations come as part of amendments to the National Treasury’s budget estimates, raising the national government’s overall expenditure to Ksh2.54 trillion. The adjustments are aimed at strengthening internal security and digital intelligence operations.

Optimus 3.0 is designed to identify social media users by analyzing connection data. The system can reportedly detect who is posting, what they are posting, where they are located, and what devices they are using — offering law enforcement new digital tracking capabilities.

Beyond the DCI, the National Police Service (NPS) could receive up to Ksh1.8 billion in additional recurrent funding. Of this amount, Ksh800 million will be allocated to the Office of the Inspector General and Ksh60 million to the Deputy Inspector General in charge of the Administration Police.

The committee’s changes come with a modest overall budget increase of Ksh33 billion,they reflect a strategic focus on modernizing national security infrastructure and digital surveillance capacity.