In the past week, the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Noordin Haji has dropped corruption charges against many prominent people in the country. The major beneficiaries are Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Nominees Mithika Linturi and his counterpart Aisha Jumwa paving way for their vetting by the National Assembly committee.
The DPP also dropped corruption charges against former Kenya Power managing director Ben Chumo, his successor Ken Tarus and nine others over the procurement of Ksh.400 million worth of transformers that investigators had described as faulty.
He also gave a reprieve to Keroche Breweries Director Joseph Karanja, husband of Nakuru Senator Tabitha Karanja in a Ksh.14 billion tax dispute with the Kenya Revenue Authority. Although Haji said that Tabitha would stand trial while letting Joseph off the hook, the issue also stirred debate on a day the DPP appeared to be withdrawing serious cases at the drop of a hat.
He also indicated that he intended to drop corruption charges against former Samburu governor Moses Lenolkulal, citing lack of evidence, and would have gone ahead had the court not asked him to make a formal application in writing. DPP Haji has in the past accused the Directorate of Criminal Investigations of filing weak cases in court and warned that he would have no option but to terminate them at some point for lack of evidence.
Key members of the Kenya Kwanza Alliance, which took over power on September 13, have also in the past indicated that some of the cases were meant to harass and intimidate supporters of the political formation. Where the DPP failed to give reasons for withdrawing the cases, it was not clear whether this was motivated by a lack of evidence or political motives.
