How New ODPP Tool Will Enable Criminal Justice Sector Stakeholders Administer Justice

NAIROBI, Kenya, Aug, 4 – Civil servants using state resources to engage in political campaigns are now subject to investigations after the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Noordin Haji called on the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission to launch investigations against them.

1,200 cases implicating civil servants of using state resources to campaign have been documented according to Transparency international.

The civil servants are allegedly using state funds and institutions to spearhead their political agenda.

“We have the reports and have directed the EACC to investigate the reports,” said Haji.

The DPP made the remarks during the launch of a 24-hour call center, expected to empower and enable members of the public to report election-related offences.

The toll-free lines are +254110939802 and 0800723377.

This is also expected to facilitate Kenyans’ access to justice quicker while receiving legal counsel.

“Whatever information we collect here will be utilized to make the decision to charge individuals who have violated citizen’s rights or have been involved in crime. This information can also be used in Kenyan courts, tribunals, or other international courts and we are preparing ourselves for any eventuality. This will be a very important tool to allow us to be effective in discharging our mandate and in ensuring that we deliver peaceful, free, and fair elections, ” said Haji.

The center will further assist greatly in bridging the gaps between what is happening at the police station and on the ground in real-time during the electioneering period.

ODPP can also determine, based on the information whether they can refer a case o the agency concerned or give real-time advice on the best course of action.

During the event attended by a number of civil society organizations, Haji said that the government has employed a multiagency approach to combat a possible surge of criminal activities during the elections.

“Even as civil society we understand our capacity, we now whereas we will be engaging in election monitoring and observation in this period, we can not be everywhere and we can not see everything…So such platform allow for Kenyans to be safe enough to come forward to say that they have seen, witnesses, heard issues happening t the communities during the election period,” said Julie Matheka, Programme Manager ICJ.

“Crime has no expiry date, we trust through this initiative launched today and with work that we will do, coordinating with other agencies that we will still get justice as Kenyans and particularly as these cars as we document them, address them will also help us to better manage elections in the future, ”Sheila Masinde, Executive Director Transparency International.

“We want to reiterate our support to ensuring that violence will not be unattended to and that human rights will be observed during this particular electioneering period,” IJM Country Director.

“I commend the office of the DPP…this dashboard is a major contribution and a major deterrent to those that may come to commit election offenses at this time,” Irungu Houghton, Executive Director Amnesty International-Kenya

“This is a very important contribution to the efforts to pursue accountability,” said Li Fung Senior Human Rights Advisor, OHCR.

According to the ODPP, 150 special prosecutors have been trained in handling hate speech, election offences, and human rights violations across the country.

The prosecutors will be expected to ultimately assist in the formulation of policies and deployment of interventions to address emerging issues from the polls, particularly in areas identified as hotspots.