The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions was once a place where Kenyans believed justice would be handled fairly. It stood as a key pillar in defending the rights of the people. Unfortunately, under Renson Ingonga, that belief has slowly disappeared. What was once a trusted institution has now become a cause of concern for many.
The recent handling of the Rose Njeri case shows just how far the DPP’s office has strayed from its mission. A Nairobi court openly criticized the decision to approve what it called vague and weaponized charges against her.
That is not a small issue it is a warning sign that something is deeply wrong.
Instead of protecting citizens from abuse of power, Renson Ingonga’s office seems to have joined in the abuse.
Rose Njeri was arrested in dramatic fashion, with 15 police officers in unmarked vehicles, and thrown into detention at Pangani Police Station. The charges she faced, based on so-called “intellectual subversion” and misuse of digital platforms, were found by the court to be legally unclear and harmful to free speech. Yet despite these findings, the DPP stood by the case.
That alone shows that Ingonga is not interested in fairness. He is more focused on sending a message to critic,: speak out and we’ll find a law to silence you.
What’s more disturbing is the DPP’s ongoing use of parts of the Computer Misuse and Cybercrimes Act that courts have already ruled as unconstitutional. When a judge says a law is vague and cannot be used to charge someone, that should be the end of it.
But not for Renson Ingonga. He continues to approve charges using those very same sections, as if court rulings mean nothing. That is a serious breach of the Constitution and a threat to every Kenyan’s right to due process.
The DPP’s job is not to protect power it is to protect justice. But right now, Ingonga’s actions suggest he is doing the opposite.
Legal experts and civil society groups have repeatedly raised the alarm, yet he remains silent, offering no explanation for his decisions. This silence is not just careless it is dangerous. It tells Kenyans that their rights can be trampled without any accountability.
If the DPP can ignore the courts, what is left for the ordinary citizen? People now feel unsafe for simply expressing their thoughts online.
Under Ingonga, the digital space has become a risky place. This was never the goal of the cyber laws, but they are now being twisted into tools of suppression.
