The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Renson Ingonga has issued a stern warning to perpetrators of Gender-Based Violence (GBV) and digital fraudsters.
The DPP said the war against crime will no longer be confined to courtrooms but will be fought directly within local communities.
Speaking in Eldoret on Friday during a town hall public dialogue forum dubbed “Chapa Gumzo Na Prosecutor,” Mr Ingonga expressed his deep concern over the sharp rise in domestic violence, sexual offences, and intimate-partner abuse, which have contributed to an alarming surge in femicide cases nationwide.
The DPP challenged local administration, elders, and families in the North Rift region to aggressively break the "culture of silence" and stop victim-blaming that often shields perpetrators of sexual and domestic violence from facing the rule of law.
"The law must speak firmly and compassionately for survivors," said Mr Ingonga, told the forum held at the Catholic University of Eastern Africa (CUEA) Gaba Campus along the Eldoret-Kapsabet highway.
Mr Ingonga said rights must not remain words on paper; instead, they must be felt in police stations, hospitals, courts, and homes.
Director of Public Prosecutions Renson Ingonga at a past event in Nairobi.
Photo credit: Billy Ogada | Nation Media Group
He said the ODPP remains committed to ethical, victim-sensitive prosecution and absolute accountability for perpetrators.
Accompanied by representatives from the Judiciary, National Police Service, Kenya Prisons Service, and the International Justice Mission (IJM) Country Director Vincent Chahale, the DPP noted that public vigilance, early reporting, and survivor-centred investigations are critical to securing convictions.
Beyond physical violence, the DPP sounded the alarm on an evolving wave of cybercrime targeting unsuspecting Kenyans, particularly vulnerable youth in urban centres like Eldoret.
He cited mobile money fraud, SIM-swap syndicates, online banking scams, and fraudulent international recruitment schemes among other emerging syndicates that fleece desperate job seekers.
"Crime today is increasingly digital, committed through mobile phones and social media. I urge the public not to share personal details, PINs, or passwords with strangers, and to be highly cautious of job offers demanding upfront payments," he said.
He reminded the public that giving or receiving bribes in all forms of crime to defeat justice attracts severe criminal liability under the Bribery Act.
On the challenge of backlog in courts and decongesting overcrowded correctional facilities, Mr Ingonga has challenged Kenyans to embrace Alternative Justice Systems.
He noted that the Constitution, under Article 159, fully recognises reconciliation, mediation, and traditional dispute resolution mechanisms.
The DPP defended the ODPP’s Diversion Policy and Plea-Bargaining Guidelines, clarifying that they are not legal loopholes to let criminals off the hook.
He insisted that the approach is not shortcuts to injustice but a way of incorporating society in handling matters of criminal justice.
"When plea bargaining and diversion are applied transparently, they reduce court delays, decongest prisons, save public resources, and promote rehabilitation,” he said.
He, however, said justice must punish where punishment is deserved, but it must also create space for reform and restoration.
At the same time, International Justice Mission (IJM) Country Director Vincent Chahale lauded the partnership between civil society and state actors, emphasising that public accountability is the cornerstone of a human-centric justice system.
