Tobiko seeks funds to give office teeth

PHOTO/FILE

Keriako Tobiko during the vetting by MPs at County Hall in Nairobi on June 7, 2011.

Director of Public Prosecutions Keriako Tobiko has asked for more funding for the department.

Mr Tobiko said at a training programme for 32 new prosecutors that his office needed at least 500 more attorneys, and double that if it were to operate efficiently.

“The training of prosecutors alone is not sufficient for the office of the DPP to fulfil its mandate,” said Mr Tobiko.

He said he was negotiating with the government for prosecutors to be paid salaries and allowances similar to officers at the Kenya Anti-Corruption Commission.

“I have nothing against the Kacc which investigates one form of crime yet is funded way better than the DPP’s office,” he said.

He cited the Sh155 million allocated to his office in the 2010/2011 financial year against the anti-graft unit’s Sh1.6 billion as proof of the disparity.

“This cannot be justified on any rational grounds,” he said.