Police prosecutions soon obsolete

BY JUDIE KABERIA

Facebook

Email

Print

null 1/1 Director of Public Prosecution Keriako Tobiko/File NAIROBI, Kenya, Jun 27 - The Director of Public Prosecutions Keriako Tobiko on Monday said plans to phase out police from prosecutorial processes were almost complete. Speaking during the opening of a trial advocacy training program at the Kenya School of Monetary Studies, he said his office was focusing on having professionally trained prosecutors only. "We are in the process of professionalising prosecutorial services; in the last three years we have been doing this, there is need to build our capacity both as prosecutors and dispensers of justice," he said. He noted that the country heavily relied on police prosecutors who did not necessarily have the professional backing to deliver efficient prosecutorial services. "Ninety percent of prosecution works in this country in the lower court is handled by police prosecutors. They do not have the requisite legal training to handle complex cases," he said. However, he said that would be countered through the vetting and phasing out processes intended to also select police officers who have the required legal qualifications to handle prosecutions. The DPP raised concerns that complex cases were becoming a norm in the Kenyan Judiciary due to changing trends of organised international crimes resulting from money laundering and piracy. He stressed for an international approach to counter crimes that were trans-national in nature. Mr Tobiko who is the first DPP under the new Constitution identified challenges that he said curtailed the efficiency of his department. These include a shortage of administrative and support staff to deal with the bulk of prosecution work. "We have 83 prosecuting counsel nationally and we require at least 1,000 to be employed. Currently we have 108 support staff against 1, 000," he noted. He further appealed to the government to provide adequate resources to boost the working conditions of the DPP to match those of the Kenya Anti-Corruption Commission staff. Mr Tobiko who spoke at the five-day US sponsored seminar appreciated the skills that came in handy especially when the country was in the process of implementing the new Constitution with key interests in reforming crucial institutions such as the Judiciary. He said the trainees would benefit the Judiciary in its quest for independence which is crucial in winning the confidence of Kenyans. The faculty will realise 32 newly-hired Kenyan prosecutors taken through the mentorship of Kenyan and US prosecutors and judges who will empower them with prosecution skills in view of the new trends of crimes. The training will emphasise on Kenya's newly enacted laws with special attention on anti-money laundering laws and asset forfeiture provisions. Follow the author on https://twitter.com/judiejeez

Read more: http://capitalfm.co.ke/news/Kenyanews/Police-prosecutions-soon-obsolete-13376.html#ixzz1QVBTeWzu
Under Creative Commons License: Attribution Non-Commercial No Derivatives