DPP Emphasizes need for cross border collaboration in the fight against human trafficking and smuggling of persons.

The Director of Public Prosecutions, Renson Ingonga, CBS, OGW, has stressed the importance of coordinated efforts and strategic approaches in combating human trafficking and other forms of transnational organized crime, as well as the severe threats these crimes pose to the country. 

Speaking during the official closing ceremony of a two-week Multi-Agency training workshop on human trafficking and smuggling of persons, the DPP noted that the case of trading in humans is a global challenge that requires intensive collaboration between prosecutors, investigators, law enforcers, border management secretariats, and specialized NGOs.

The transnational Simulation-based training workshop on the 28th January 2025 touched on Investigating and Prosecuting Human Trafficking, Identifying and Referring the Victims to Assistance, and was organized by CIVIPOL under the framework of the Better Migration Management (BMM) Programme and held at the Breeze Hotel in Busia, Kenya.

Mr Ingonga stated that the level of collaboration demonstrated by the organizers of the cross-border workshop aligns with the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP)’s strategic plan 2023 -2027, which is anchored on interagency collaboration and cooperation to effectively tackle human trafficking and smuggling of persons.

He expressed his appreciation for the CIVIPOL’s consistent support in strengthening the coordination and capacity of criminal justice actors in Kenya and Uganda in the fight against trafficking in persons and smuggling of migrants.

The DPP stated that the workshop provides an important platform for anti-trafficking parties to collaborate in ensuring successful investigation, prosecution, and adjudication of human trafficking cases while also identifying and aiding victims.

The event was also graced by Lady Justice Jane Frances Abodo, Director of Public Prosecutions, Uganda, who emphasized the need for community and media engagement in Kenya and Uganda in combating cross-border human trafficking. 

She informed the participants that a multi-agency taskforce and technical working group in Uganda and Kenya respectively to promote and oversee the implementation of SOP has been established.

The training comes at a time when the cases of cross-border human trafficking and migrant smuggling are on the rise as a result of porous borders, with the prevalent forms of trafficking being forced labour, sexual exploitation, forced marriage, and child trafficking. The Busia border between Kenya and Uganda is one of the busiest in East Africa, therefore the choice of Busia, Kenya, for this training was not in vain.

The training was conducted in two phases: Inception Training, where the participants were introduced to migration, trafficking, and smuggling frameworks with a focus on each country’s referral mechanism and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for investigating and prosecuting trafficking in persons.

The second phase was the Real Case Simulation, which allowed participants to apply the knowledge gained in a practical context by employing real-life scenarios in human trafficking and migrant smuggling cases.

The workshop brought together police officers, public prosecutors, immigration officers, child protection officers, labour inspectors, and Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) from Kenya and Uganda.

ODPP is fully committed to applying the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for investigating and prosecuting trafficking in persons in the discharge of our prosecutorial duties.