TJRC to summon Kiplagat over new evidence

By Ally JamahTruth, Justice and Reconciliation Commission (TJRC) is considering recalling Ambassador Bethuel Kiplagat to testify on the Wagalla Massacre after he released fresh evidence.
TJRC commissioners yesterday expressed surprise that in an interview he granted a local TV station yesterday, Kiplagat cited documents that he had not mentioned during his testimony on Monday.
In the interview, the former Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs exonerated himself from the Wagalla incident and tabled documents to absolve himself.
TJRC’s CEO and Leader of Evidence Patricia Nyaundi said Kiplagat quoted minutes of security meetings held in Wajir that he did not cite during his testimony.
"It appears that Kiplagat knows more than he was willing to share with us during his time at the witness stand. This is undermining the work of the commission," she said.
Commissioner Gertrude Chawatama suggested that Kiplagat be recalled to testify again to make further disclosures that he didn’t make during his first testimony.
Kiplagat’s lawyer Elijah Mwangi disowned the interview granted by his client saying it was done without consulting him, adding that he was also surprised to learn about it yesterday morning. ‘I apologise to the commission for the conduct of my client. I will be expressing my displeasure to him over his decision to participate in the interview. It was unfair to the commission," he said.
Commissioner Ronald Slye also hit out at Kiplagat for speaking as the Chair of TJRC, saying it was misleading to the public.
Kiplagat’s fate as Chair has not yet been determined.
In yesterday’s hearings, former DC of Wajir David Mativo was recalled to testify on a report he wrote in 1984, the year of the massacre.
Conceal the event
Commissioners put him to task to explain why in his annual report he didn’t mention the Wagalla incident, with some suggesting that he sought to conceal the event.
"The incident at Wagalla Airstrip was not included because the report was about development and not security. Issues of security would be found in minutes of the District Security Committee," he defended himself.
On his part, former Provincial Criminal Investigation Officer of North Eastern Province Paul King’ori testified that he would have investigated the Wagalla incident but was stopped by his superiors.
"When I briefed the CID director about my intention to probe the incident, he said he would send another officer," he claimed.