Posted by The International Criminal Court Chief Prosecutor Moreno O’campo has proposed a three pronged approach to deal with the perpetrators of the post election violence that rocked Kenya after the announcement of the presidential election results on 30th December 2007.
Speaking at a meeting with Kenya’s Lands Minister James Orengo at the IC C headquarters in The Hague, Netherlands, O’campo routed for the creation of special courts to try those who committed the atrocities, as the ICC will deal only with those who bore the greatest responsibility of the violence.
He also added that the Truth Justice and Reconciliation Commission be used as an avenue to deliver justice through creating an enabling environment for confessions. He said through TJRC, many will seek forgiveness. The TJRC has been the preference of the political class, who are suspected to have been behind the violence.
In July, the Kenyan cabinet resolved to back the TJRC, contrary to agreements between the Kenyan delegation and O’campo that the Kenyan parliament sets up a special tribunal by the end of September 2009.
Orengo is at The Hague on the invitation of the Dutch Government for a human rights conference. Both Orengo and the ICC prosecutor addressed the conference, with the Kenyan lands minister presenting a paper on fighting impunity and peace building. He was part of the mediation team that came up with proposals of the formation of the Commission of Inquiry into the Post Election Violence, which proposed that the Kenyan parliament sets up a special tribunal to try those behind the mayhem, or the ICC takes over.
Currently, Kenyans and the international community await for the outcome of the Special Tribunal Bill that is being fronted by MP Gitobu Imanyara. The bill is currently at the publication stage. Two attempts by the government to set up the special tribunal have hit a brick wall, after the country’s parliament rejected the move.
