Senior members of the provincial security teams who were in charge of regions that experienced post election violence fear they could become sacrificial lambs in ICC post election violence (PEV) trials. Writer Vitalis Kimutai Spoke to Ainamoi MP Benjamin Langat (ODM) and nominated MP Rachael Shebesh on whether or not the fears are justified.
YES: Nominated MP Rachael Shebesh
 |
| Nominated MP Rachael Shebesh |
 |
| Ainamoi MP Benjamin Langat (ODM) |
QUESTION:Do you think senior PCs and PPOs who served in five major hot-spots before, during and after post election violence could become sacrificial lambs in the hands of the ICC?
ANSWER: No. There should be no cause for alarm as the PCs and PPOs were on the ground and they should be able to tell the world what happened at the time. All the police stations where people were tear-gassed, killed, injured and others incarcerated were within their area of jurisdictions.
QUESTION:Focus has in recent weeks shifted to the PCs and PPOs who claim they were only doing their job as instructed by authority. Do you agree?
ANSWER: There is no way they can be left out of the investigations as others were active participants while there are those who sat back and watched as innocent people were killed, displaced and hundreds of women made widows and thousands of children orphaned.
QUESTION:Why in your view, do you think the ICC decided to target these former senior administrators in its investigation?
ANSWER: I do not think they are being targeted, it is the media that has created that impression and you (media) should be careful on the way you package the information that is going out to the public especially as regards to the post-election violence and investigations by ICC.
QUESTION:Is it necessary for ICC to follow them yet they had already appeared before the Waki Commission?
ANSWER: Waki and his team did not have the time to go into finer details with their investigations and that is why some of us supported formation of a local tribunal to look into the matter. There should be proper investigations with a view to nailing all the masterminds of the violence.
QUESTION:Former senior administrators have argued PEV was largely caused by other people and that for them, they simply reacted to situations. What is your view?
ANSWER: I agree that the post election violence was about a stolen election. But the way the administrators and police officers reacted to the peaceful demonstrations by the people was very unreasonable. Why would one kill people who are not armed and who are demanding for their rights?
QUESTION:Attorney General Amos Wako had written to the ICC that Kenya would only facilitate its interviews with serving officers, and not those who had left the service. Comment.
ANSWER: All people who served or are still serving in Government must be made to provide the information they have regarding the post election violencetothe ICC.
NO: Ainamoi MP Benjamin Langat (ODM)
QUESTION: Do you think senior PCs and PPOs who served in five major hot-spots before, during and after post election violence could be sacrificial lambs in the hands of the ICC?
ANSWER: Yes, they are being sacrificed by not only the ICC, but also the Government after the powers that be used them to relay orders to their juniors to shoot and kill peaceful demonstrators following the disputed Presidential poll tally.
QUESTION: Focus has in recent weeks shifted to the PCs and PPOs who claim they were only doing their job as instructed by authority. Do you agree?
ANSWER: It is true they were merely doing their jobs by executing orders from the authorities at the time. But they also have responsibility to bear for acting unreasonably at the height of the violence. We need all those who were in positions of responsibility during the skirmishes to carry their own cross and stop crying foul.
QUESTION: Why in your view, do you think the ICC decided to target these former senior administrators in its investigation?
ANSWER: They are being targeted because investigations into who gave the shoot-to-kill orders to junior police officers has to be established. Hundreds of innocent Kenyans lost their lives following extrajudicial killings by the police, which should have not been allowed to happen in the first place.
QUESTION: Is it necessary for ICC to follow them yet they had already appeared before the Waki Commission?
ANSWER: It is for ICC to establish the facts on the ground as it was instead of over relying on the Waki report. After all Waki and fellow commissioners indicated in their report that it was not conclusive and that there was need for further investigations into the matter.
QUESTION: Former senior administrators have argued PEV was largely caused by other people and that for them, they simply reacted to situations. What is your view?
ANSWER: In my view, the post election violence was spontaneous. But the skirmish was fuelled by the killings by the police of innocent Kenyans who were peacefully demonstrating following the bungled Presidential vote tally. QUESTION: Attorney General Amos Wako had written to the ICC that Kenya would only facilitate its interviews with serving officers, and not those who had left the service. Comment.
ANSWER: I can not speak for the AG,but it is my view that those who were in charge of the security arm of the Government should be compelled to come forward and give the information they have to the ICC irrespective of whether or not they are still serving in Government.
Source: The Standard | Online Edition
0 comments:
Post a Comment