Wednesday, July 25, 2012

TJRC final report out next month


TJRC final report out next month

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The Truth, Justice and Reconciliation Commission is burning the midnight oil to finish the final report despite the absence of two commissioners and a largely absent chairman. Commissioners and technical staff are in Mombasa working on the report, which is supposed to be handed to President Kibaki on August 3, which is two weeks from now.
The TJRC chairman Bethuel Kiplagat has missed several sessions in keeping with an agreement he made with the commissioners to absent himself whenever he was mentioned in the report. Commissioner Ronald Slye reportedly left the country in June, while commissioner Betty Murungi resigned almost two years ago and was not replaced.
Kiplagat kept away from the commission for nearly one year and only managed to return a few months ago, following the intervention of justice minister Eugene Wamalwa. “The substantive work is done and if all goes well, we should be able to present our final report by August 3,” said commissioner Tom Ojienda.
Asked about Slye's absence, Ojienda said Professor Slye who lectures and consults in the areas of public international law and international human rights law at the Seattle University was working on his contribution. “We are in touch almost on a daily basis through skype and other online tools. You could say he is actually participating and would most likely attend the presentation of the final report,” Ojienda explained.
Commissioners actively taking part in drafting the final report are Ojienda, Margaret Shava, Tecla Namachanja, Berhanu Dinka, Gertrude Chawatama and Ahmed Farah. The commission was appointed in August 2009 to probe all historical injustices which have happened in Kenya between December 12, 1963 and February 28, 2008.
The TJRC Act 2008 lists the injustices as gross violations of human rights, economic crimes, irregular acquisition of public land, political assassinations, marginalisation of communities and corruption among others. In its final report, the commission must make recommendations on reparations for victims, prosecution of perpetrators, granting of conditional amnesty and outline institutional measures to prevent further abuses going into the future.
The commission was expected to finish its work by November last year, but got an extension until May this year. It got yet another extension of six months—three for report writing and the remaining three for winding up.

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