- On Wednesday, the organisations said that the petition against the DPP boss to occupy the position at NIS lacks merit.
- In a statement, the civil organisation said the petition is driven by a vendetta that aims at damaging and soiling Haji's performance.
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The Consortium of Grassroot Civil Society Organisations has come out to defend DPP Noordin Haji's nomination as the Director-General of the National Intelligence Service (NIS).
On Wednesday, the organisations said that the petition against the DPP boss to occupy the position at NIS lacks merit.
In a statement, the civil organisation said the petition is driven by a vendetta that aims at damaging and soiling Haji's performance.
The organisations countered Haji's nomination on three grounds.
They include non-compliance with Chapter Six of the Constitution, Incompetence and gross misconduct.
The petition claimed the withdrawal of prosecution cases failed to inspire public confidence in the DPP's commitment to execute his mandate and his conduct is a violation of Chapter Six of the constitution.
The civil societies focused on seven cases that the DPP had withdrawn.
While defending the DPP, the organisation said the DPP was granted the authority under the constitution to withdraw cases due to insufficient evidence.
"Many of these cases were acts of injustice and their withdrawal was in line with the principles of fairness in the dispensation of justice," the statement read.
"By only placing focus on the seven prominent cases, the civil society organisations deliberately ignored to bring to the attention of Kenyans the fairness by the DPP to withdrawal cases of thousands of Kenyans."
They faulted civil societies for not calling out the DPP during the period when the cases were withdrawn.
" Why did they suddenly emerge to lodge their protest soon after the nomination of Haji. Their action is a clear indicator that these groups are not driven by justice, fairness or public interest but by malice vendetta and prejudice," the statement read in part.
According to the statement, Haji did not display incompetence as there was no evidence presented to show that withdrawal was not undertaken through the set mechanism as per the law.
"Haji has demonstrated competency in his work since he took over the reins of the Office of the Director of Public Prosecution. His performance has been attested at both the local and international level where he has been appointed in various bodies," the statement read.
According to the statement, the DPP operationalised the Plea Bargaining Rules which ensured speedy conclusion of cases to reduce the backlog of cases.
The members of the Consortium of Grassroot Civil Society Organisations include Kenya Youth Forum, Starehe Community Group and Tekeleza Katiba Movement among others.