BY SAM ALFAN
Director of Public Prosecution Noordin Haji has launched of the 2022 Electoral Justice Report, which he said gives the country an opportunity to review and reflect on strategies and initiatives adopted to strengthen the country’s preparedness during the election period.
The DPP said that through the Crime Mapping System, there were 39 cases of election related offences during the pre- election period and 82 cases during the election period.
He added that there were also 10 cases after the election totalling to 131 registered election-related offences.
“Out of the 131 cases recorded, 59 Cases are pending before Court, and 49 cases are pending further investigations. We further registered 4 convictions, 1 withdrawal, 2 discharges, and have finalized 16 files,” he revealed.
The DPP said Nairobi County recorded the highest number of cases reported to his office followed by Narok, Homa Bay, Kakamega, Kiambu, Kilifi, Laikipia and Marsabit counties.
Haji said the data collected through the crime mapping system will inform future data driven policies and interventions.
“Additionally, this Report presents us with the unique opportunity to share best practices and experiences, and chart a way forward towards enhancing electoral justice for future elections,” said Haji.
The Chief prosecutor said that leading up to the 2022 General Elections, the ODPP adopted various strategies including developing key policy documents such as the ODPP Compendium on Electoral Justice, and the Rapid Reference Guide for Sexual and Gender Based Violence.
“We also undertook joint capacity building of criminal justice actors through conducting numerous intra-and inter-agency trainings leading up to the General Elections. The training sessions sensitised staff and relevant stakeholders on the key policy documents developed and the relevant laws,” Haji added.
He revealed that institutions such as the Kenyan Chapter of the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ), the International Justice Mission (IJM), the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights, and the Law Society of Kenya played an important role in enhancing the knowledge and skills of participants in the area of election related offences.
“These trainings had a positive impact on our overall preparedness and would like to take this moment to thank the facilitators and trainers for their efforts to equip Prosecution Counsel and key stakeholders, countrywide, with requisite skills and expertise critical to addressing election-related offences,” said Haji.
According to Haji, the ODPP embraced an innovative approach towards monitoring elections by adopting the use of a Crime Mapping System.
The Geographic Information System was able to track – in real time – all of the election related offences handled by the ODPP countrywide. The System also allowed us to identify the predominant offences being committed and hotspot areas across the country.
“This ensured that resources were efficiently allocated to prosecutors in areas with higher rates of offences, thereby allowing for more effective prosecution of these cases,” Said DPP Haji.
It is Haji’s hope that institutions will continue to improve on our response mechanisms and overall preparedness for future elections.
“I urge you all to internalise this report and its recommendations which will strengthen our collective efforts towards safeguarding our democracy, protecting human rights, and upholding the rule of law in future elections,” said Haji.
