By Phyllis Mwende
The British High Commissioner to Kenya, Neil Wigan, visited the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) to reinforce bilateral collaboration in combating transnational organized crime.
The courtesy call focused on strengthening ongoing joint efforts in counterterrorism, anti-corruption and cross-border crime. Both parties reaffirmed their commitment to capacity building and the continued development of specialized training for prosecutors.
“We appreciate the consistent support from the British High Commission, which has enabled us to expand and enrich our training programs for both local and regional prosecutors,” Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Renson Ingonga stated.
Ingonga emphasized the ODPP’s commitment to prosecutorial excellence, noting that the ODPP’s training institute, unique in Eastern and Central Africa, has become a regional hub for building prosecutorial capacity.
The UK-Kenya partnership has already delivered concrete results, including a prosecutor training curriculum on counterterrorism and the financing of terrorism. Other achievements include the provision of advanced audio-visual equipment for the Prosecution Training Institute’s moot court.
High Commissioner Neil Wigan commended Kenya’s progress in prosecuting economic crimes and reaffirmed the UK’s commitment to supporting justice and accountability mechanisms.
“Effective prosecution is a cornerstone in the fight against corruption,” Wigan said. “We are proud to support the ODPP’s work and look forward to deepening our partnership in areas that promote justice, accountability, and international cooperation,” he added.
Additional areas of cooperation discussed included mutual legal assistance (MLA), improved intelligence sharing and more efficient extradition procedures.