NAIROBI, Kenya, Jun 8- Kenya’s Office of the Director of Public Prosecution has developed an excellence charter, hailed as a game changer in driving the much-needed reforms in public prosecution.
The charter was launched by Interior Cabinet Secretary Dr Fred Matiangi on Tuesday, in the presence of Director of Public Prosecutions Noordin Haji and other critical players within the criminal justice sector.
The Charter, the DPP said will, “inject accountability, transparency, legitimacy, public confidence and quality control in our operations with overall aim of transforming the ODPP into a 21st century prosecution service.”
He said the implementation shall be guided by 6 strategic commitments; independence and integrity, lifelong learning, reshaping prosecutions, leadership, organizational effectiveness inter-agency networks.
“The launch of the Excellence Charter is a new ground that you have broken. You have immediately thrown a challenge to all of us. You are now blazing the trail, and we need to follow suit and develop a similar culture of excellence.”
He said by the ODPP agreeing to develop an accountability framework, that was the first admission by the institution “that they are ready and willing to serve in a modern way and in line with the demands of our time.”
ODPP Excellence Charter-Launch. Pic/Courtesy
He added that, “from the law enforcement part, we will do our part. We are trying to measure up to the expectations of fighting crime in the modern environment. We have already created a new cadre of police officers — all of them graduate trainees — who are currently undertaking a one-year training programme, and will graduate as cadet police officers drawn from various fields. As such, when we go into new ground of working on crime like cybersecurity, we have the capability to be of more value to the ODPP.”
The excellence charter and SOPs also focusses on investigation and prosecution of serious human rights violations committed by police officers.
DPP Haji said the institution will spend Sh3 billion in implementing its Excellence Charter in the next three years.
Under independence and integrity, the office will develop an oath of office, inspectorate unit, internal compliance unit, integrity assurance protocols, whistleblower policy, memorandum of understanding between ODPP and investigative agencies and guidelines on independent prosecutorial decision-making and the exercise of discretion among others at a cost of Sh68 million.
The office intends to spend Sh2 billion in among others determining appropriate organizational model for the Prosecution Training Institute.
Under reshaping prosecution, the ODPP will spend Sh94 million in developing guidelines that will help it achieve its goals.
He said some Sh59 million will be used in adopting servant leadership policy and training of personnel while under the organizational effectiveness they will seek to have office change management, review organization structure and delegate decision making powers among others which will cost Sh685 million.
Under inter agency networks some Sh71 million will be spent in creating networks in general.
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