NAIROBI, Kenya Apr 16 – Lobby group Sheria Mtaani has strongly defended the independence of the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP), warning that proposals to grant prosecutorial powers to the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) could undermine the integrity of Kenya’s justice system.In a statement, the group emphasized that the current legal framework deliberately separates investigative and prosecutorial functions to safeguard fairness, accountability, and the rule of law.Sheria Mtaani argued that allowing EACC to both investigate and prosecute cases would blur institutional boundaries and weaken key checks and balances designed to protect the public interest.Through its lawyers — Danstan Omari, Shadrack Wambui, and Stanley Kinyanjui — the lobby group maintained that combining the two roles would create serious legal and constitutional complications.“A prosecutor is not a witness, and an investigator is a witness. If an EACC investigator were to prosecute a case and then take the stand as a witness, it would be an absurdity. It has never happened and cannot happen,” Omari argued.The lawyers also raised concerns about growing pressure on prosecutors to hastily approve investigation files submitted by agencies, cautioning against reducing the ODPP to a mere formality.“The Director of Public Prosecutions cannot be a rubber stamp. Investigations, particularly those conducted by EACC, take time and must be subjected to thorough and independent review,” they said.Sheria Mtaani further revealed plans to move to the High Court to challenge any legislative attempts aimed at reallocating prosecutorial authority from the ODPP to the EACC.The group is seeking a constitutional interpretation on whether Parliament has the mandate to effect such changes, insisting that any move to merge investigative and prosecutorial roles would erode the foundations of justice and accountability.