High Court of Kenya advocate Elijah Nduati was appointed the Secretary of Public Prosecution Services and Organisational Chief Executive Officer of the Office of the DPP.
“The appointments, Tobiko said, are consistent with the provisions of the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions Act 2013, which provides for the retention of Deputy Directors, to assist the DPP in the execution of his or her powers and functions under the Constitution,” a statement from his office read.
Dorcas Oduor, Kioko Kamula and Jacob Ondari were appointed to deputise the DPP.
The three will add their skills to the Department of Economic, International and Emerging Crimes. They will also oversee the Department of Offences Against The Person and the Department of Country Affairs & Regulatory Prosecutions.
According to Tobiko, the latest reforms at the ODPP are geared at boosting prosecutorial services in the country and also deal with new crimes such as piracy, poaching and terrorism among others.
Alongside the appointments, 41 Chief County Prosecutors were also posted to 41 county offices in regions such as Wajir, Turkana, Narok, Marsabit, Bomet, Malindi, Voi, Busia, and Homabay.
Acknowledging the financial support extended to his office, Tobiko said his office now has 248 prosecutors and has a budget to increase the number of prosecutors by 130 in the next few years.
“From a base of 93-prosecution counsel two years ago, the ongoing drive to boost the ODPP’s prosecutorial capacity has registered a steady growth with a total of 248-prosecution counsel now retained. Within the current terms of service, the DPP has also secured authority to recruit a further 130 prosecutors annually for the next few years,” the statement indicated.
The DPP hoped that a total of 930 prosecutors required will be achieve to ensure the office runs efficiently without staff shortage which has been a major challenge since his office started operating independently.
However, he said he will continue to engage with the Salaries and Remuneration Commission to secure adequate terms and conditions that will help retain ODPP staff.