Kiplagat reinstated as Truth team boss

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Mr Kiplagat was on April 11, 2012 reinstated to the Truth, Justice and Reconciliation Commission (TJRC) as the chairman. Photo/FILE 

By  PETER NG’ETICH pngetich@ke.nationmedia.com
Posted  Wednesday, April 11  2012 at  22:30

Mr Bethuel Kiplagat is back at the helm of the truth commission.

Mr Kiplagat was on Wednesday reinstated to the Truth, Justice and Reconciliation Commission (TJRC) as the chairman after a more than one-and-a-half hour meeting between Justice minister Eugene Wamalwa and the other eight commissioners.

Also present at the meeting in Nairobi was assistant minister William Cheptumo and Permanent Secretary Kihara Kibara.

Though Mr Wamalwa declined to answer questions from journalists, he said the eight commissioners and Mr Kiplagat had reached an amicable solution to present a final report from the commission’s findings.

Amicable solution

“The commission has encountered various problems but I am pleased to present to you chairman Kiplagat after he reached an amicable solution with the other members,” Mr Wamalwa said.

“I had told you before that my approach to issues was going to be different. They had hit a snag but I am happy that they are back together so that they can give the country a road map,” Mr Wamalwa said.

The other commissioners including the then acting chairperson Tecla Namachanja, Berhanu Dinka (Ethiopia), Gertrude Chawatama (Zambia), Ronald Slye (USA), Tom Ojienda, Margaret Shava and Maj-Gen (Rtd) Ahmed Farah all of Kenya had rejected the return of Mr Kiplagat as chairman.

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The commission which has carried out its work for the past three years has been dogged by controversies since President Kibaki picked Mr Kiplagat to head it.

Mr Kiplagat was at first accused by human rights activists of not being fit for the job because he was in government when Dr Robert Ouko was murdered and during the 1984 Wagalla massacre.

He had also been accused of land grabbing while he served as Permanent Secretary in former President Moi’s regime.

The commissioners later petitioned the then Chief Justice Evan Gicheru to name a tribunal to look into his conduct but its term expired before concluding its work.

Mr Kiplagat has maintained he did nothing wrong and has sued the eight commissioners for not allowing him back. He was last month awarded Sh5 million by Justice Mohamed Warsame.

At one time, the House Committee on Legal Affairs was told that influential people in government linked to atrocities of past regimes were behind the commission’s woes.

In February, audit questions were raised at the TJRC over more than Sh25 million.

However, the commission’s chief executive officer Patricia Nyaundi said they had not done returns of Sh6 million in imprest by the time the audit was being carried out.

The report by Auditor-General Edward Ouko noted that while the commission has three signatories only the CEO’s signature appears on some cheques.

Money which has not been properly accounted for include Pay-as-You-Earn of about Sh13 million, vehicle hire of about Sh11.7 million and imprest advances of about Sh1.8 million.