Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

top

Kenya

Tobiko warns Kenyans against hate speech

Speaking during the inauguration of new officers in his office, Tobiko said stern action will be taken against any person propagating hate speech or inciting people/FILE

Speaking during the inauguration of new officers in his office, Tobiko said stern action will be taken against any person propagating hate speech or inciting people/FILE

NAIROBI, Kenya, Feb 13 – Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Keriako Tobiko on Friday warned politicians and other leaders to refrain from incitement to violence and use of hate speech.

Speaking during the inauguration of new officers in his office, Tobiko said stern action will be taken against any person propagating hate speech or inciting people.

“We have escalation of politically motivated violence and thuggery. We have widespread hate speech including hate crime. There is a growing trend of general lack of respect for rule of law and order. These brazen acts of impunity must be dealt with,” he asserted.

The DPP explained that his office was perturbed by the rising cases of politically motivated violence and animosity in the country.

He vowed that his office will not spare any person involved in incitements irrespective of their status to ensure that they don’t interfere with national cohesion of the country.

Tobiko also warned prosecution counsel against making decisions to prosecute or not based on political and public pressure.

He urged them to make impartial and professional decisions after thorough review of matters at hand.
Tobiko warned that any officers involved in malpractices will be punished by the Counsel Review Board which comprises of senior officers in his office.

The board which will comprise of members also outside the ODPP will among other interventions make snap visits to evaluate performance of prosecutors and other staff.

Admitting that he had received complains on conduct of some of his officers, Tobiko said officers taking part in criminal activities will as well be prosecuted by fellow colleagues.

He also urged members of the public to report any misconduct of ODDP officers to the complaints committee.

Advertisement. Scroll to continue reading.

Tobiko spoke during an inauguration meeting for newly recruited staff.
So far his office has 956 staff with 622 of them being prosecution counsels spread across the 47 counties.

He said his desire is to ensure there are enough prosecution officers in all courts.

However, he noted that his office like in other countries was grappling to handle emerging crimes that are complex in nature.

He said through establishment of specialized units like the cyber crime, and wildlife units the office has structured ways of dealing with them.

However, he appealed for his officers to be given a security of tenure like the DPP and also improve their terms and remuneration to motivate them in their work.

The DPP argued that his officers’ deal with complex and sensitive crimes that require them to get security and financial support that can put them up in secure areas.

About The Author

Comments
Advertisement

More on Capital News