President William Ruto on Thursday August 17, nominated Renson Mulele Ingonga as next Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP).
In a memo forwarded to the National Assembly on Thursday, August 17, the Head of State noted that Ingonga is a qualified legal practitioner who will serve with honour.
Ruto, therefore, asked Members of the National Assembly to vet the nominee according to the provisions of the law.
Ingonga was among other 30 candidates who were shortlisted for interviews which took place in Nairobi for more than one week.
In the end, the selection panel submitted to President Ruto a list of three qualified candidates, from whom he picked Ingonga.
Ingonga is an Assistant Director at the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP). He is currently the Head of North Eastern Area and the Anti-Corruption and Economic Crimes Unit at the ODPP.
He is a career prosecutor who has been serving at the prosecutions office for nearly a decade.
He holds a Bachelor of Laws Degree from the University of Nairobi and a Master of Laws degree in International Criminal Law from the University of Cape Town. He is also a certified mediator and arbitrator.
Ingonga has extensive experience in criminal law, with a particular focus on corruption and economic crimes.
He is a passionate advocate for justice and human rights. He is committed to ensuring that the law is applied fairly and impartially, regardless of the circumstances.
The panel underscored qualifications and experience required for the position of DPP, which include a law degree from a recognised university.
Ingonga also met the requirement of being admitted as an advocate of the High Court of Kenya and having served for at least 10 years as a professionally qualified magistrate.
As DPP, Ingonga will be the head of the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP), which is the national prosecuting authority in Kenya.
He will responsible for the prosecution of all criminal cases in the country, except for military cases, which are handled by the Director of Military Prosecutions.
Even though he will be appointed by the President upon approval by the National Assembly, Ingonga will make prosecutorial decisions independently, free from political influence or interference.
In his functions, Ingonga will take over and continue any criminal proceedings instituted or undertaken by another person or authority.
He will also discontinue at any stage before judgment is delivered any criminal proceedings and direct investigation and guide the conduct of criminal investigations.
At the same time, Ingonga will handle matters relating to international relations including extradition and Mutual Legal Assistance(MLA).
The Director of Public Prosecutions will equally advise government Ministries, Departments, Agencies (MDAs) and county governments on matters pertaining to the development and application of criminal law.
Ingonga replaces Noordin Haji wo was on June 14, appointed as the Director of the National Intelligence Service (NIS).
