OFFICE OF THE DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC PROSECUTIONS Huge boost for justice delivery as DPP secures Treasury approval to recruit

more staff

The Independent Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions has received a much needed shot in the arm after securing the governments authority to recruit additional staffers. The approval received from the National Treasury authorizes the Director of Public Prosecutions Mr. Keriako Tobiko to incur an expenditure of Kshs 137 million in the recruitment of specialist and support staff members. In a letter signed by the National Treasury Cabinet Secretary Henry Rotich, the government has allowed Mr. Tobiko to proceed with an urgent recruitment of prosecution counsels to address a biting personnel shortfall. The National Treasury, Rotich added, had moved to allocate the necessary resources to the ODPP to bridge the current personnel shortfall for effective service delivery to the public and compliment the Judiciarys efforts to improve on the national justice dispensation goals. In view of the above, authority is granted for recruitment of the 267 Legal staff, 74 Prosecutions Assistants and 74 non Legal staff, reads Rotichs letter. While welcoming the National Treasurys support, Tobiko noted that efforts to improve on the delivery of justice are steadily receiving government support. Notwithstanding the current capacity drawbacks, as an Office, we will continue to cascade our services to Kenyans in the spirit of the Constitution. We also intend to further improve the discharge of our prosecution mandate i.e., provision of timely prosecution services, facilitation of victims/witnesses assistance, professionalization of prosecution services, promotion of inter-agency cooperation and collaboration and implementation of a quality management system, Tobiko said. And added: To this end, I humbly urge the President, Parliament, relevant government offices, development partners, the civil society and members of the Public to do all they can to improve the funding and other capacitation of the ODPP, in its quest for institutional reforms and growth. This will ensure that the on-going judicial reforms are, deepened and the rule of law strengthened in our great Republic.

In the recently released first Annual Status Report for the Independent Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP), Tobiko disclosed that the ODPP had managed to make significant progress in the operationalization of the independent office of the DPP. He singled out the development of a Strategic Plan [2011-2015], the enactment of the ODPP Act, 2013, the establishment of the ODPP Advisory Board under the ODPP Act, and the operationalization of a new organizational structure as some of the milestones. Other milestones, he noted include the development of institutional and prosecutorial policies and guidelines to steer the operations of the Office and guide prosecutions (such as the National Prosecution Policy, Code of Conduct for Public Prosecutors, General Prosecution Guidelines) and the establishment of 13new ODPP County Offices. His office, Tobiko added had also managed to oversee the recruitment of 76 new prosecution counsels to boost its capacity to 169 Prosecution Counsels within the period under review. The ODPP, he also said has managed to develop quality assurance measures and good governance systems, while raising its inter-agency collaboration particularly with investigative agencies (namely, the National Police Service and EACC) alongside a commitment to foster relations and engagements with civil society and development partners. 28 th FEBRUARY 2014