On Thursday, August 17, President William Ruto nominated Renson Mulele Ingonga, Senior Assistant Director of Public Prosecutions, as the next Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP).
Among the 15 individuals who were shortlisted for the top job, Mulele was one of the least popular, with low coverage in the press and profiles on social media.
One of his rarest mentions in the public was in January 2016, when he applied for the position of judge of the Environment and Land Court but was not shortlisted. Mulele, however, is familiar to legal minds since his admission as an advocate in April 2005.
Born in Kakamega, the senior counsel rose rapidly through the ranks landing at the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP), where he honed his litigation skills.
While speaking to Kenyans.co.ke, a colleague who also serves as a Senior Assistant DPP described the advocate as a calm and collected litigant with a knack for public service delivery.
"He has handled quite a number of cases. He is an active litigator who joined the office of the DPP for several years. Ingonga also consults a lot," stated the prosecutor.
Since joining the rank of Senior Assistant Director of Public Prosecutions via a Gazette Notice signed by former DPP Noordin Haji in 2022, Mulele has traversed the country as the head of ODPP outposts.
He started off as the head of the Kajiado office before moving to Kiambu and Mombasa counties, respectively.
Until his nomination by Ruto on Thursday, August 17, Mulele was the head of the North Eastern Region's office.
Parliament will vet the DPP nominee and, if confirmed, approve him to succeed Noordin Haji, who was sworn in as the Director of the National Intelligence Service (NIS) on June 14, 2023.
Mulele will be tasked with instituting and undertaking the prosecution of cases handled by his predecessor.
The prosecutor holds a Masters Degree from the University of Nairobi, and his thesis centred around judicial enforcement of public interest litigation under the 2010 Constitution of Kenya.
Among other DPP contestants were former IEBC commissioner Thomas Letangule, lawyer Danstan Omari and advocate Taib Ali Taib
Others were Jacinta Nyamosi, Victor Mule, Tabitha Ouya, David Ruto, Andayi Francis, Winston Ngaira, Peter Mailayi, Lilian Okumu-Obuo,Jacob Ondari, James Ndegwa, and David Okachi
