The office of the Grand Mufti of Kenya has lauded the nomination of Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Noordin Haji as the next Director of the National Intelligence Service (NIS).
Grand Mufti Sheikh Omar Buya said the move by the President to nominate Haji demonstrates his confidence in the DPP to work and serve the nation in different capacities.
Speaking in Mombasa, Buya urged Members of Parliament mandated to vet the nominee to do so objectively and in turn give him the green light as he fits the bill given his contribution and experience in the service.
“As the office of the Grand Mufti, we want to thank the President for the noble choice he made in nominating the DPP to be the next Director of National Intelligence. We believe he will serve the nation with honour and patriotism,” said Buya.
Haji, a former deputy director in the Counter Organized Crime Unit within the NIS, was appointed as the DPP on 28th March, 2018 following an interview with the Public Service Commission (PSC) and vetting by the national assembly.
Buya called on a faction of civil society groups that have come out to oppose the nomination of Haji on the grounds of alleged ineptitude during his tenure at the helm of the ODPP to re-evaluate his successes against the setbacks and allow him to transition to his new role seamlessly.
“The President in his wisdom has nominated Haji for the exemplary work he did as the DPP. He executed his mandate within the confines of the law and that should be the gauge that we should use to measure if he is up to task with the role ahead of him,” added Buya.
This is against the backdrop of criticism lodged by the rights groups a few days ago with the groups raising questions on the suitability of the DPP to handle another sensitive docket.
Meanwhile, the cleric has put his weight behind the transformative agenda that the government is implementing to try and bring the cost of living down and stabilize the economy.
He said that Kenyans should take time and analyze some of the gains made in the short period of time the new dispensation has been in place.
“We need to give our leaders time to develop sustainable policy that will steer our nation in the right direction. Eventually, things will shape up and our country will prosper,” said Buya.
