Director of Public Prosecutions Noordin Haji has cautioned 77 newly recruited state prosecutors against corruption as they prepare to take up their postings after a two-month induction in Nairobi.
He told the graduates that integrity was non-negotiable in the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions and warned that unethical conduct would not be tolerated.
“Unethical behaviour shall have no place within the ODPP. Be wary of corruption for own benefit,” he said.
Haji added that the mandate of a prosecutor leaves no room for graft and said the public expects the new officers to serve as defenders of justice.
“The duty bestowed upon you as prosecutors don't accommodate corruption neither do I,” Haji said.
“Great expectations have been placed on your shoulders and I have no doubt in my mind that all of you are ripe for the calling to discharge your duties,” Haji said.
The ceremony in Nairobi was attended by Interior CS Fred Matiang'i, Namibian Prosecutor General Martha Imalwa, Law Society of Kenya President Allen Gichuhi and retired Chief Justice Benard Chunga.
Matiang'i raised concern over congestion in prisons and remand centres, saying the new prosecutors could help speed up the handling of pending cases and ease overcrowding. He also said his office would support the ODPP with resources.
“I'm ready to commit some of the resources from my office to help the ODPP. We will continue doing our part in supporting you,” he said.
Deputy DPP Dorcus Oduor said many young people remain in prison because they cannot access lawyers to represent them in court. She called for more funding for the state legal aid kitty to help needy and vulnerable groups.
Gichuhi supported that proposal and suggested that 30 per cent of money collected from court fines be channelled to the kitty.
Matiang'i praised Haji’s anti-graft drive and urged the new prosecutors to follow that example. Imalwa told them that prosecution is not a job for the “soft-hearted or lazy people,” but for people with the discipline and honesty to serve the public.
“You are not going there to be loved but to make more enemies. Be a person who is responsible and honest,” Imalwa said.
Chunga called on investigative agencies to work together if the fight against crime is to succeed.
Witness Protection Agency director Alice Ondiek also attended the event, alongside representatives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations, the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission, the National Intelligence Service, the UK Embassy and Lawyers without Borders.
