The Cabinet Secretary in charge of the Ministry of Interior and Coordination of National Government, Dr. Fred Matiang’i, has promised to support the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) to ensure successful prosecutions and facilitate quick administration of justice. He said that they will close cooperation between all agencies under his Ministry to ensure that this will be accomplished.
He was speaking during the conclusion of an 8-week induction programme for 52 new prosecutors counsels at the Kenya School of Monetary Studies.
Dr. Matiang’i expressed his willingness to give up some of the programme resources under his Ministry to support the ODPP’s operations. The Cabinet Secretary also appreciated the joint efforts by the ODPP and the judiciary in decongesting correctional facilities. He noted that the Government is spearheading front-end reforms, including diversion and reclassification, with a view to ridding remands of petty offenders.
“Our remand facilities are almost crammed full but our joint efforts with the ODPP together with the National Community Service Orders Committee, which is chaired by Hon. Justice Luka Kimaru, are yielding the much desired progress in this endeavour,” Dr. Matiang’i said.
He added that the Government is also working closely with various development partners and donors, including the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), to establish court infrastructure within maximum-security prisons in every region across the country to ensure safety of the suspects, the prison staff, and the judicial officers.
On his part, the Director of Public Prosecutions Noordin Haji reiterated that his office is committed to undertaking reforms to complement the Government’s efforts to streamline administration of justice in the country. The 52 prosecutors are the pioneering graduands from the Prosecutors’ Training Institute, a trial advocacy and induction programme established by the ODPP to prepare new prosecutors tackle complex cases. The newly recruited prosecutors will soon be deployed to different parts across the country to begin working.