The Truth, Justice and Reconciliation Commission is firmly on course to undertake the human rights violations and other historical injustices meted out to people in the former Northern Frontier District.For starters, the commission has confirmed its intention to start public hearings which will include the events of the Wagalla Massacre. Given the historical magnitude of the events, Kenyans hope that the process will be a national experience in the fullest possible extent.
The past experiences of the residents of the Northern Frontier region has weakened their bond with the rest of the country. Their sense of belonging to the Kenya nation was for a long time a mere legal construction under the strict, ruthless and hostile boot of the national instruments of coercion. The TJRC's capacity, integrity, commitment and loyalty to the core values upon which this nation has been re-founded will be on display during these hearings.
What would Dr Kofi Annan, the African Union and the United Nations say? “Good luck and safe journey.” How about the region’s victims of state terror in the region and consequences of policies of marginalisation such as the seasonal famine and drought? They will ask many questions. Why did government take so long to do the obvious? They will also ask, do those who run our politics really understand the full extent of the meaning of the word “justice?"
What will the state pay for every human being that was killed by the state? Will it be one million per head as the Kenya Wildlife Compensation Act provides for every person killed by the animals in the wild? Additionally, will the fuel tanks of our political leaders last the entire journey or like in the ICC case will they beat an about-turn and opt for an internationally run Truth, Justice and Reconciliation process?
The truth of the matter is that we are, as a people, on a road not walked on before and all questions, doubts, fears, hopes, dreams and expectations are legitimate outpours of people in a historical setting like ours. The challenges that lie ahead of this process are vast and diverse. What we must all agree on and seek inspiration from is the determination to make our contribution as a generation towards re-engineering our national psyche for a harmonious co-existence as a people.
The nation must use this period to psyche itself to whole heartedly embrace and support what the people will present to their government. The current and future governments of Kenya need to be prepared to pay the price for our leap to a new psycho-social dispensation. Let the people of Kenya, especially those who have had the privilege to serve in public office, have the humility and courage to participate in the diagnosis of the Northern region. Those who conceptualised the TJRC process as an essential agenda, in a sense, acknowledged on behalf of all of us that the binding strings of our people have been falsehood rather than truth, provocative rather than reconciliatory, corrupt and unjust rather than fair and equitable. We have failed to imbibe the real ingredients for a sustainable binding glue of our diversity.
The journey of the truth commission has been bumpy. History tells us that this is not just the nature of Truth processes the world over but a necessary experience to inspire seriousness and commitment on part of the those in the driving seats and those who will be assigned the implementation task.
It should not be forgotten that not so long ago, the African Union’s sought the skills, experience and acclaimed courage of one among us, Prime Minister Raila Odinga, to develop a road for a democratic peace in Ivory Coast. Raila’s appointment was not just recognition of his immense historical contribution to the reform process in Kenya but a toast to Kenya’s efforts in reforms. Let us all spiritually congregate in the Northern region, hopefully one of the last windows to the final stretch of our walk to a new nation on an irreversible path of healing.
The writer is the Chair of the National Victims and Survivors Network
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