Haji, Kinoti public spat regrettable- Karua

Azimio-One Kenya co-principal Martha Karua has termed the public spat between the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Noordin Haji and former Director of Criminal Investigations George Kinoti regrettable.

Karua, while appearing on Spice FM on Wednesday, November 2, said the top leadership ought to have stepped in and quelled tensions between the duo before things went out of control.

"It is wrong for any administration to have two officers at that level who are at loggerheads with each other. What it means is that the public suffers. The moment the disagreement between the DCI boss and the DPP reached a higher threshold, it ought to have been resolved by the authorities," the Narc-Kenya Party Leader said.

Karua tore into Haji's claims during an interview on KTN's Checkpoint Show on Sunday night, where he claimed to have been threatened in the course of discharging his "independent office" mandate.

The DPP, defending the numerous withdrawal of corruption cases, said his office was frustrated in the discharge of its duties, pointing an accusatory finger at the DCI for failing to avail evidence.

"That's why we had a pull and shove between the two offices because I could not allow any longer to have cases that did not have the desired threshold and did not meet what was sufficient for us to go to court. And that's why then our posture changed, and we demanded that the DCI should finish all his investigations before we can move to court and make that decision to charge," Haji said on Sunday.

But Karua held that the buck stops with the DPP, whose office is independent and does not need to take direction from anyone.

"The DPP's office enjoys security of tenure, he doesn't act under the direction of any other person. He can direct the DCI, not the other way. It is, therefore, not right that he [Haji] would try to wash his hands off the DCI. What is happening is not right," she said.

The Narc-Kenya leader further said that Haji ought to have resigned from office if he felt pressured, instead of laying his frustrations bare in public.

"If you feel the environment is extremely hostile, quit. If you feel the pressure is too much, please go home rather than do anything contrary to your oath of office."

The DPP on Sunday revealed that the disagreement between his office and that of former DCI boss Kinoti escalated, that he sought the help of former President Uhuru Kenyatta and some interventions were made.

Things, however, slid back to normal soon thereafter.