On March 13 this year, President Uhuru Kenyatta appointed Noordin Mohamed haji as the new Director of Public Prosecutions replacing a long-serving Keriako Tobiko.
Tobiko had been nominated to the Executive as Cabinet Secretary of Environment. Noordin Haji was appointed alongside Justice Paul Kihara who replaced Prof Githu Muigai as Attorney General after the later called for an early retirement.
“I have conveyed to the National Assembly the nomination for vetting and approval of Justice Paul Kihara Kariuki as Attorney General; and Noordin Mohamed Haji as Director of Public Prosecutions,” President Kenyatta stated.
Noordin Haji, a son of Garissa Senator Yusuf Haji has a 19-year professional life as an advocate of the High Court of Kenya. He began his public service as a State Counsel in the Office of the Attorney General, moved on as a member of the National Security Intelligence Service, as a legal officer, served as a Deputy Director in charge of Administration and later on ascended to be Deputy Director in charge of Counter Organized Crime (where his role majorly featured advising the Director-General NIS on Legal and Strategic matters on Organized Crime).
Before his appointment to the top role at the Office of the Director of Public Prosecution (ODPP), Noordin Haji led coordination of Interagency Operations on organized crime, investigating, analyzing and compiling evidence for prosecution. This role saw him collaborate with the office of Director of Criminal Investigations (DCI), a range of prosecutors and the Judiciary among other investigative bodies.
Although his appointment drew a considerable amount of criticism, the new DPP has hit headlines in a rather unexpected fashion. Observers have given him an early commendation and some retracted on their earlier stance after his swift approach towards investigation and prosecution of over 54 suspected masterminds of the National Youth Service (NYS) scandal that has claimed at least 9 billion, according to preliminary reports.“Dear DPP Noordin Haji ... I offer my sincerest apologies for my lukewarm response to your appointment ... Your deliberate efforts to rein in run-way theft, corruption & impunity in our Public Institutions including but not limited to NYS & NCPB has given me full confidence in you,” prominent City lawyer Donald Kipkorir stated on Twitter
Could he be a man of his word?
When he faced the parliament's committee on Justice and Legal Affairs for vetting, the DPP admitted that he knew he was going to meet the “big fish” in graft syndicates, but promised to fix the rot to hasten the mode of working on criminal cases of this kind.
“It is true that the big fish have money and can afford good lawyers to represent them and delay their cases for a long time and eventually justice is not served. I will have a meeting with the Judiciary to address this,” Mr Haji affirmed.