Ministers linked to TJRC woes

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By ALPHONCE SHIUNDU ashiundu@ke.nationmedia.com
Posted  Thursday, March 8  2012 at  20:04

Influential people in government linked to atrocities of past regimes are behind the wrangles at the truth commission, a House committee was told on Thursday.

The clique, which includes ministers, their assistants and senior technocrats in government have been frustrating the work of the commission to ensure that evidence against them does not make it to the final report, the committee heard.

Speaking to journalists after meeting Truth, Justice and Reconciliation Commission officials, Legal Affairs committee vice-chairman Njoroge Baiya said the commissioners had found “lots of difficulty” in carrying out their duties as they were pre-occupied with fighting the anti-reform forces.

“There’s a lot of mistrust from these people, and they’re all out to distract the commissioners from doing their work. (READ: Why does Kiplagat want this job so much?)

“They just don’t understand that the commission has an important mandate of bringing national healing to the country,” said the Githunguri MP.

Mr Baiya said the MPs were worried that the leadership wrangles at the commission could make it difficult for the truth team to beat the deadline.

He asked those who think they would be adversely mentions in the TJRC report to give their side of the story before the commission.

Budalang’i MP Ababu Namwamba said the commission was capable of delivering despite the leadership challenges.

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The TJRC officials assured the MPs that they would hand over the final report to the House for approval by May 3.

The TJRC has been under the leadership of vice-chairperson Tecla Namachanja.

The commissioners have been wary of taking on board their embattled chairman, Mr Bethuel Kiplagat, who has been cleared by the court to resume his position.

Rift Valley MPs had last week threatened to mobilise their colleagues to reject the report of the commission unless Mr Kiplagat was allowed to take part in compiling the final report.

“It disturbs us. It concerns us. That other commissioners can lock him out of his office even when the courts have cleared him is a mark of impunity,” the MPs said last week.