ODPP Validates Guide to Child-Friendly Interviewing, Reinforces Commitment to Child Protection

The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) has taken a major step forward in safeguarding the rights and welfare of children in Kenya’s justice system by validating the Guide to Child-Friendly Interviewing in Kenya. The guide offers a clear, structured approach to how prosecutors and other justice actors should interact with child victims and witnesses, emphasizing protection, empathy, and professionalism throughout the legal process.

The internal validation comes at a time when the country continues to implement the Children Act, 2022, a landmark statute that elevated the voice of the child and introduced stronger legal protections for minors. The new guide is aligned with this progressive law and reflects ODPP’s commitment to ensuring that the pursuit of justice does not further traumatize child victims.

In his remarks read by Robert Oyiembo, Deputy head Conventional and Related crimes Department, the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Renson Ingonga underscored the delicate balance prosecutors must maintain when handling cases involving children.

“Children are among the most vulnerable members of our society,” said the DPP. “As prosecutors, we are entrusted with the dual responsibility of delivering justice and doing no further harm. This guide helps us meet that responsibility with both empathy and professionalism.”

The DPP extended his appreciation to Lawyers Without Borders, whose collaboration with the ODPP was instrumental in developing the guide. He noted that meaningful partnerships remain central to advancing child protection within the justice sector.

The Guide to Child-Friendly Interviewing provides detailed guidance on four core areas: preparation before the interview, the interview itself, use of technology, and post-interview procedures. It encourages a trauma-informed approach to justice, focusing on how to create safe environments for children to speak and be heard without fear or intimidation.

Before any interview begins, the guide calls for a thorough pre-interview assessment to understand a child’s emotional state, communication needs, cultural background, and any vulnerabilities that may affect how they engage. This ensures that the interview is not just legally sound, but also sensitive and respectful of the child’s unique experience.

During the interview, the guide emphasizes the use of neutral, age-appropriate language and discourages leading questions. Interviewers are encouraged to let children provide free narrative accounts in a safe and non-threatening atmosphere.

One of the key recommendations of the guide is the use of technology—especially video recording—to capture testimony accurately and minimize the need for children to repeat painful experiences multiple times. The DPP noted that this approach helps preserve the integrity of the child’s evidence while reducing the risk of re-traumatization.

“Justice for a child does not mean a conviction at any cost,” he said. “It means ensuring their mental, emotional, and physical well-being is preserved throughout the legal process.”

The guide also stresses the importance of professionalism after the interview—how evidence is stored, how communication with guardians is managed, and how documentation is handled with care and sensitivity.

The DPP acknowledged that traditional legal procedures can be intimidating for children and, at times, inadvertently re-traumatizing. He called for a paradigm shift in how the justice system approaches child-related cases and urged prosecutors to be at the forefront of that transformation.

He further called on prosecutors and all justice stakeholders to commit to specific reforms aimed at making child-sensitive justice a reality. These include standardizing child-friendly interviewing across all jurisdictions, embracing the use of video evidence in child cases, enhancing trauma-informed training, strengthening multi-agency collaboration, and embedding child-protection principles into national policy.

“Every child case we handle is not just paperwork,” Ingonga concluded. “It is our humanity, our empathy, and our commitment that determine whether that child walks away with fear—or with hope.”