Training Prosecutors to Handle Wildlife Trafficking Cases in Kenya

Somebody once told me that if you want to make a difference, figure out what you are passionate about and then find a way to contribute. As I think back over my life, I’ve been blessed to connect with people. Maybe that’s my biggest skill. It’s just that people fascinate me and I have a hunger to understand, to empathize, to serve. Add in the International work, the Intelligence stuff plus the legal training and experience, again shocked that I have any of it, and it’s clear that for me to contribute, to make a difference, to give back, this is how I do it. 

So when I received the call from Lawyers without Borders to come to East Africa and help, I dropped everything. I love to teach trial advocacy skills and training people in the judiciary. I’ve done it around the world including in Uganda, Russia, Republic of Georgia and more. 

That’s why I came back here to Kenya. That’s why Nairobi is the place this time. There are some extraordinarily talented lawyers here, specifically prosecutors in this case. Their area of specialty is wildlife trafficking. However, this so frequently ties directly into international organized crime and terrorism. Al Shabaab is neck deep in this and they are certainly operating in Nairobi at the present.

And as we look at wildlife trafficking, what is completely heartbreaking is to see these magnificent creatures and know that so many, the elephants, the rhinos and more are on the verge of extinction. Gone means gone. 

It is an extraordinary opportunity and I’m confident that at the end of the day, I will learn more than these amazing participants. So I’m here to help train prosecutors to be more effective communicators in the courtroom and to help sharpen their skills so that they can do the incredible work that they do. 

More to come.