DCI vs DPP in corruption plaguing the 2 offices war

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Noordin Haji and George Kinoti

A healthy working relationship between DCI chief George Kinoti and DPP Noordin Haji is said to be the force behind the new anti-corruption purge.

Unlike their predecessors, Ndegwa Muhoro and Keriako Tobiko, who literally could not see eye to eye, the new pair has a good working relationship.

The poor working relationship was blamed for the slow pace of dealing with high-profile criminals.’

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Ndegwa Muhoro

For instance it emerged that fraud detectives under Mr Muhoro were adversely mentioned in allegedly taking bribes, amounting to millions of shillings, from some beneficiaries of the NYS scandal.

Under the same ministry but at the Youth Enterprise Development Fund (YEDF), the embattled board chairman Bruce Odhiambo also approached Mr Muhoro to investigate the alleged loss of Sh180 million paid to Quarandum Ltd for non-existent ICT consultancy works.

In the Tatu City matter, Mr Muhoro was accused of deliberately commissioning two investigations into the project which resulted in  two different files being sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions with conflicting recommendations.

Under Mr Muhoro’s leadership, Kenyans remained in the dark regarding the murder of former Kabete MP George Muchai and controversial whistle blower Jacob Juma. And the killing of Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission Information Communication Technology manager Chris Msando. Some suspects were arrested and taken to court but the execution is yet to become clear.

The IEBC ICT boss was killed just days to the August 8 General Election.

The exit of Muhoro and Tobiko from their powerful offices on January 5 brought to an end a five-year-old battle between the two powerful individuals.

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Director of Public Prosecution Noordin Haji (M) and Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) boss George Kinoti(l), EACC boss Twalib Mbarak(R)

Did it the battle really end though?

Currently, Bungoma regional representative of the Directorate of Public Prosecution (DPP), John Oyimbo, is a man under siege following constant bribery accusations by local officers from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI).

According to reports, Oyimbo has in the recent past clashed with the DCI officers in many of the cases being handled by the officers.

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At the centre of deep divisions between the officers, who are supposed to work jointly to provide high-quality prosecution services, is bribery allegations.

In 2018,the Director of Public Prosecutions Noordin Haji announced that his office is under probe for possible financial improprieties.

This was a reaction to the arrest of a State Counsel based at the Taita Taveta law Courts for allegedly receiving Sh 30,000 as a bribe.

EACC officers arrested Donald Ochieng, who allegedly demanded bribe in order to influence a defilement case he was prosecuting.

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He is said to have promised to serve as a “broker” between the complainant who is facing the defilement case and the magistrate hearing the matter.

Ochieng is said to have promised the complainant that he will negotiate with the magistrate in order to give a favourable judgement towards him in a matter where is charged with defilement.

Case studies and literature reveal that there is no “one size fits all” approach to curbing criminal authorities-related corruption. Rather, the case studies demonstrate that any measures must take into consideration the political, economic and social environment of a country and address the root causes of corruption rather than adopting a symptomatic approach

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