Who will become Kenya's next DPP?

Interviews for the 15 shortlisted candidates for the post of Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) will take place on Tuesday and Wednesday to select a man or woman to head the powerful office responsible for prosecuting those charged by the police and other investigating agencies.

The 15 were selected from a list of 48 applicants, and a number of them are already working in the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) in various capacities.

The new DPP will be the third holder of the office under the 2010 Constitution after Keriako Tobiko and Noordin Haji, who was recently appointed the Director-General of the National Intelligence Service (NIS).

The successful candidate will have a lot to do, among them winning back the confidence of Kenyans especially after the recent withdrawal of high-profile cases. So far, the value of halted cases has hit Sh10 billion.

Upon completion of the interviews, the selection panel will submit three names of those most qualified in order of performance to President William Ruto, who will then choose one person from the list and forward the name to the National Assembly for vetting.

The qualifications for appointment to ODPP are the same as for the appointment as a judge of the High Court.

The DPP has the power to direct the Inspector-General of Police to conduct investigations, and the police boss must comply.

The office holder is required to hold office for a term of eight years and shall not be eligible for re-appointment.

Below are brief profiles of the 15 candidates, arranged alphabetically.

1. Danstan Omari Mogaka

He practises at Danstan Omari and Associates Advocates. Mr Omari is also a political analyst and a lecturer at the Catholic University of East Africa. He has been practising as an advocate for more than 10 years, handling some cases for free. He is scheduled to be the last candidate to be interviewed on the first day of interviews.

2. David Kiplagat Ruto

He is a director legal services at the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission, the lawyer who hails from Uasin Gishu County was admitted to the bar in 1995.

3. David Mogunde Okachi

Admitted to the bar in 2000, he is based at DM Okachi and Company Advocates in Nairobi.

4. Francis Andayi Weche

Mr Andayi is currently the chief magistrate at the Machakos Law Courts and has previously served in Nyeri and the Milimani law courts. While at Milimani, Mr Andayi handled cases relating to the Garissa University and Westgate terrorist attacks.

5. Jacinta Nyaboke Nyamosi

She is currently the Deputy Director in the Department of Offences Against the Person at the DPP’s office. She was admitted to the bar in 1996 and previously served as the Senior Assistant Director of Public Prosecutions in charge of Kisumu and Kiambu counties. She was a joint secretary in the task force on the implementation of the Sexual Offences Act.

6. Jacob Nyakundi Ondari

Admitted to the bar in 1995, Jacob, who hails from Kisii County, formerly worked at the DPP's office but is currently at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.  He is to face the panel at 12.15pm on Wednesday.

7. James Wahome Ndegwa

He  has been an advocate of the High Court since 1997. The bulk of his practice, as per his profile with the Law Society of Kenya, has been on planning, environment, the local government and land matters.

8. Lilian Akinyi Okumu-Obuo

She was admitted to the bar in 2000 and works with the ODPP as the chief of staff.  She hails from Siaya County and will face the panel on Wednesday morning.

9. Peter Mung’athia Mailanyi

Mr Mailanyi is a senior assistant Director of Public Prosecutions and currently the head of appeals division at office of the DPP Nairobi. He joined the ODPP in 2012.

10. Renson Mulele Ingonga

He is a senior assistant DPP in charge of North Eastern Based at the ODPP, he was admitted to the bar in 2005. The Kakamega-born lawyer will be the last to be interviewed, with his appearance set for 4pm on Wednesday.

11. Tabitha Wanyama Ouya

Ms Ouya is the head of the Civil Rights Division at the ODPP. She is also an acting Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions. She formerly headed the Prosecutors Training Institute in Loresho. She has 26 years of experience as a litigator, more than 20 years as a prosecutor and six years as a civil litigator..

12. Taib Ali Taib

The former Mombasa mayor was appointed by former DPP Noordin Haji as a special prosecutor. Among the cases he is currently prosecuting is the trial of former Cabinet Secretary for Finance Henry Rotich and others over the loss of funds in the construction of the multibillion Kimwarer and Arror dams. He was the vice chairman of the Law Society of Kenya (LSK) in 1993, deputising former Chief Justice Willy Mutunga.

13. Thomas Letangule

Mr Letangule is a former commissioner of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC). He chaired the inaugural IEBC dispute resolution committee. After resigning from the electoral body in October 2016, the 54-year-old retreated to his firm, Letangule and Company Advocates, which he founded in 2004. He will be the first to face the panel at 8am on Tuesday.

14. Victor Vinya Mule

He is the acting deputy director in the Department of County Affairs and Regulatory Services at the ODPP. Mr Mule was admitted to the bar in 1995. He joined the State Law Office as a state counsel in 2008 and was later moved to the DPP’s office, where he served for 11 years. He was instrumental in pushing for the extradition of two lawyer Paul Gicheru (1972-2022), and Philip Kipkoech Bet, who were wanted by the International Criminal Court for interfering with witnesses.

15. Winston Aswan Ngaira

Hailing from Vihiga County, Winston is an advocate practising at Yano and Company Advocates. He is expected before the panel at 9am on Wednesday.

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