Hatuna vita yoyote: Haji denies fallout with Kinoti over Manduku case

Director of Public Prosecutions Noordin Haji has poured cold water on claims of a fallout with the Director of Criminal Investigations George Kinoti.

Speaking during a press conference on Thursday, DPP Haji termed the claims as pure fantasy, saying their two offices are committed to the pursuit of justice.

“Sisi ni binadamu, hatujakosana, msituweke madoadoa, hatuna vita yoyote, hata bibi na bwana wanakosana, sisi tukikosana ni kazi tu, ta tunaendelea kufanya kazi pamoja,” he said.

On his part, DCI Kinoti declined to answer questions from journalists regarding the matter, only stating that his office and that of the DPP were not in any fight.

A story in the Daily Nation on Thursday had said the DCI was being frustrated by what he claimed was failure of Haji’s office to charge suspects.

The story titled ‘Who is frustrating Kinoti’s efforts to fight corruption’ further said that the DCI “felt betrayed after doing the donkey work.”

Earlier in the week, the office of the DPP declined to charge KPA Managing Director Daniel Manduku with corruption.

It appeared that officers from the DCI and DPP had clashed over the status of the investigations.

The case file had been recalled for review by the DPP at the last minute yet the accused was already in the basement cells of the Milimani Law Courts waiting to be arraigned.

The investigating officer had told the court that he had brought Manduku and another suspect because he was ready with a charge sheet.

The prosecutor on the other hand, indicated the case should have been registered as a fresh plea which was yet to be done even with the suspects already in court.

Senior Principal Magistrate Kennedy Cheruiyot who was presiding over the matter then said he did not have a case file on the matter: he wondered why the two suspects were appearing before him.

This was the first time that officers from the two agencies appeared to be in conflict in open court.

The aftermath of the contradiction saw the magistrate set Manduku and the other suspect free.