Director of Public Prosecutions Noordin Haji has appointed 200 specialised prosecutors in the 47 counties and 129 court stations to handle electoral offences.
He said an Electoral Justice Division has also been established to enhance the ODPP’s capacity to handle offences such as hate speech.
Chief Justice Martha Koome has also appointed 119 special magistrates to handle election-related matters.
“Historically, elections in Kenya often trigger an upsurge in hate speech, ethnic contempt, sexual and gender-based violence, incitement to violence, loss of property and voter bribery,” Haji said.
“We have also institutionalised the Election Preparedness Committee, specifically tasked with coordination, research, data collection, and analysis of all election-related matters.”
He spoke during the validation workshop on the ODPP compendium on electoral justice by criminal justice actors in Nairobi.
Haji said it was important that officials remain vigilant and proactive to detect and prevent election-related malpractices and offences.
The DPP also warned against misinformation to the public which he said not only weakens interagency cooperation and coordination, but also erodes the public's confidence in the electoral justice process and overall administration of criminal justice.
“As ODPP, we will continue to execute our mandate in accordance with the rule of law without fear or favour and guided by facts, evidence, and the law. I therefore, urge all of us to play our respective roles to enhance confidence in our electoral processes,” he said.
The actors in the system have come up with policies and guidelines geared towards effective prevention, investigation and prosecution of election-related offences.
To build synergy, a joint training has been organised next month between state and non-state actors to draw from expertise and best practices from common law jurisdiction.
The session was attended by CJ Koome, Attorney General Kihara Kariuki, Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission CEO Marjan Marjan, Registrar of Political Parties Ann Nderitu, NCIC’s Samuel Kobia, the CEO EACC, and a representative of the DCI.
Others included Independent Policing Oversight Authority chairperson Anne Makori, Communications Authority of Kenya representative, Law Society of Kenya president Eric Theuri, among others.
