• For Haji, this is a good move. He goes to a field he knows better. He had three more years to serve at the ODPP.
• As a DPP, Haji made friends and enemies in equal measure at the Office of Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP). Some of them are in government and out.
Image: FILE
Noordin Haji is going back to the National Intelligence Service now as the Director General where he served as deputy director for counterintelligence.
President William Ruto on Tuesday, May 16 nominated the Director of Public Prosecutions as the new DG for NIS.
For Haji, this is a good move. He goes to a field he knows better. He had three more years to serve at the ODPP.
"Consequently, it is notified that Excellency the President has, In accordance with Section 7 (1) of the National Intelligence Service Act, nominated Mr Noordin Hajl, CBS, for appointment as the Director-General of the National Intelligence Service," Ruto said.
As a DPP, Haji made friends and enemies in equal measure at the Office of Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP). Some of them are in government and out.
He also gained both praise and ridicule as a DPP for the five years he has served. But he says it worked.
Haji returns to the NIS where he served up to 2018 as the Deputy Director of the Counter Organised Crime Unit before being named as the DPP.
The law says the Director of Public Prosecutions shall hold office for a term of eight years and shall not be eligible for re-appointment.
Haji will succeed his former boss at NIS Philip Kameru who has been at the helm since 2014.
Kameru is a career military officer and has, according to Ruto, steered the NIS to a better position.
“Under Kameru, Kenya's premier civilian intelligence agency has made monumental strides in the fight against terrorism, transnational crimes and other major threats to our national and regional security," Ruto said.
"Maj-Gen (Rd) Kameru has been at the forefront of guiding special security assignments and multi-agency coordination that have made Kenya and indeed the region, more secure,” the President added.
Haji had risen through the ranks to reach the position in the NIS. He was born on July 3, 1973.
The DPP had a privileged upbringing thanks to his father Mohamed Yusuf Haji who was the Garissa Senator.
The senior Haji was Kenya’s Minister of Defence from 2008 to 2013 and doubled as Minister of Internal Security and Provincial Affairs in 2012 in an acting capacity.
Yusuf served as a public administrator in the 70s and late 90s before he plunged into politics. Noordin’s mother was a teacher.
His brother Abdul is the senator for Garissa, a seat he inherited from his father and defended it in 2022 polls.
The senior Haji had once said he feared for his son’s life given that his appointment as DPP would come with many enemies.
Haji is married and has children although he has kept them out of the public limelight. After completing primary school, he joined Kabarak High School for his secondary studies and then went to Greensteds International School in Nakuru.
The DPP holds an LLM and LLB from the University of Wales and Cardiff. He has an MNSPO (Masters's degree in National Security Policy) with merit from Australian National University.
He also holds a post-graduate diploma from the Kenya School of law. His first job in the Public Service was as a State Counsel at the Attorney General Office in 2000.
His career has been shaped up in the Attorney General’s office where he worked for many years as a deputy director of the National Intelligence Service (NIS).
Haji's responsibilities included providing legal counsel to the police, the Director of Criminal Investigations, the Director-General NIS, and other Non-Law enforcement agencies.
After undergoing thorough scrutiny by the Public Service Commission (PSC) and vetting by the National Assembly, he was seen fit to hold the position of the DPP (Director of Public Prosecutions) in 2018 after his nomination by former president Uhuru Kenyatta.
Haji was then appointed later by the President of the Republic of Kenya as the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) in March 2018.
He has worked tirelessly to improve coordination and enhancing inter-agency collaboration in fighting crime.
Haji has also enabled the ODPP to gain notoriety through various reforms he introduced after he took over from Keriako Tobiko.
These include introducing and supporting the electronic filing system in the ODPP which has enhanced service delivery at large.
He leaves the ODPP with a modern academy- The Prosecution Training Institute (PTI) which helps the prosecution team to shape their skills.
“We are happy to have had him. He stood for the right at the ODPP. We will miss him,” said an insider at ODPP.
The insider hoped Haji will continue to help them at ODPP.