By Brian Okoth
Kenya’s former Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Noordin Haji has been sworn into office as the new Director-General of the National Intelligence Service (NIS).
Haji took the oath of office on Wednesday at State House in the capital Nairobi. President William Ruto presided over the ceremony.
Haji takes over from Philip Kameru, who has retired from the service, where he was at the helm since 2014.
President Ruto nominated Haji for the NIS top job on May 16. The former DPP went through parliamentary vetting before assuming the role substantively.
“You have my full support and that of my team. I know you will make us proud as you have done at the previous office where you served diligently,” Ruto told Haji after the oath-taking ceremony.
Search for next DPP
Haji’s eight-year term as DPP was to end in July 2029. President Ruto now has the task of searching for Haji’s successor as DPP.
The DPP enjoys security of tenure, and has the powers to institute and undertake criminal proceedings against any person before any court in the country.
At the NIS, Haji now has the mandate to identify threats against the security of Kenya, collect and analyse intelligence on these threats, and advise the government accordingly through appropriate intelligence reports.
Blighted legacy
His tenure at the helm of public prosecutions attracted criticism from several quarters, which faulted him for withdrawing or discontinuing several corruption cases involving high-profile people close to President Ruto.
Transparency International, which had awarded Haji a Leadership Integrity Award in 2019, on May 26, 2023 withdrew the award, citing concern over the high number of graft cases that were being discontinued in unclear circumstances in Kenya.
New Central Bank governor
President Ruto has also appointed a new governor of the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK).
Kamau Thugge, a former top officer in the Treasury ministry, replaces Patrick Njoroge as the Governor of CBK. Njoroge has proceeded on retirement after serving as the CBK boss for eight years.
Thugge’s four-year term appointment takes effect on June 19, 2023, President Ruto said.
The new CBK chief served as Treasury Principal Secretary between 2013 and 2019 during President Uhuru Kenyatta’s reign.
Thugge was sacked by Kenyatta after the government allegedly lost Sh19 billion ($189.5 million) in a fictitious dams project in Kenya’s Rift Valley. The then-Treasury Cabinet Secretary, Henry Rotich, was also fired.
The two alongside 26 others were arraigned for allegedly taking part in the $189.5 million fake dams project deal.
In January 2021, Thugge was acquitted after the then-DPP, Noordin Haji, applied to withdraw the charges against Thugge and, instead, turn him into a state witness.
Thugge has now been lined up as a witness against his former boss, Rotich.
The new CBK governor holds a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Economics from the University of California, Berkeley.
