By Wilfred Kizito
The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) on Tuesday spearheaded an anti-trafficking sensitisation forum in Garissa County as part of events to mark the World Day Against Trafficking in Persons.
The forum, led by the ODPP’s Counter-Trafficking in Persons Division Head Lindah Mwamburi, brought together security agencies, civil society groups, children officers, and religious leaders in a joint effort to strengthen Kenya’s response to human trafficking.
Mwamburi emphasised the urgent need for multi-agency coordination in fighting the vice, warning that tackling trafficking would remain a challenge if agencies continued to work in isolation.
“If we don’t embrace multi-agency coordination, defeating the vice will be a tall order,” Mwamburi cautioned.
She underscored that human trafficking is not only a national problem but also a global crisis, requiring collaboration between law enforcement, the justice sector, and grassroots actors to effectively dismantle trafficking networks.
The sensitisation session focused on building awareness among frontline officers and ensuring that cases of trafficking are detected early, properly investigated, and successfully prosecuted. Attendees also discussed the importance of community vigilance and reporting, as traffickers often exploit vulnerable populations, particularly children and young women, in remote and border areas.
The ODPP has been intensifying its outreach and training efforts in regions like Garissa, which officials say is a key transit and recruitment hub for traffickers targeting both domestic and cross-border victims.
The event coincided with the World Day Against Trafficking in Persons, observed globally on July 30, which this year called for stronger partnerships to prevent and combat human trafficking.
The Garissa forum is part of a broader ODPP strategy to enhance Kenya’s compliance with international obligations on human trafficking and to reinforce the country’s justice system response to one of the world’s fastest-growing organised crimes.