Murungi Says He'll Pursue JM, Ouko Murderers
By JOSEPH KARIMI
KENYA'S MINISTER for Justice and Constitutional Affairs Kiraitu Murungi says he will seek "resolution" of the murders of prominent politicians, including former Foreign Affairs Minister Dr Robert Ouko and former Nyandarua North MP JM Kariuki. Mr Murungi said other political crimes, like the tribal clashes of 1992 and 1997, and the economic plunder that brought the economy to its knees would be handled in a manner determined through public debate. Religious leaders, he said, had approached him to establish a South Africa-type Truth and Reconciliation Commission but he was not sure what form the national healing process would entail. "We are looking at the proper structure within which to handle such things. Is it the Truth and Reconciliation Commission or some other alternatives?" he said. The minister added that, for now, he was concentrating on building institutions for handling such crimes in the future while making sure past misdeeds were punished to avoid recurrence. "We don't want to break our backs carrying the heavy burdens of the past; it is a delicate balancing act," he said. Recently, John Troon, the retired Scotland Yard detective who investigated Dr Ouko's murder, said he would welcome the reopening of the case over which he had been approached by a senior politician in the National Rainbow Coalition (NARC) government while the leader was in the opposition. Mr Troon said he would also provide his own report for the investigation, which he was unable to provide during the initial contact "for a variety of reasons." "I would welcome the reopening of the case and I am willing to give it my full co-operation," he said, adding that investigations 13 years down the line would be difficult. Mr Troon prepared his own report after what he perceived as "the vast inaccuracies" contained in a 1999 government report which he describes as a "cosmetic cover-up." Mr Murungi said he would deal "in a comprehensive manner" with injustices of the past once the ministry's capacity was developed and new officers were in place. He specifically mentioned economic crimes and bad debts owed to public banks which were revealed in the "List of Shame" published by a parliamentary four years ago as well as a purge in the judiciary. "We are going to carry out a radical surgery of the judiciary – a fundamental reform requiring well-calculated moves," he said. However, the minister declined to comment on the recent clamour from 17 civil organisations, including the Law Society of Kenya and the Kenya Human Rights Commission, to have the Chief Justice Bernard Chunga resign for alleged failure to respect human rights in the past. Following the publishing of two Bills seeking to institutionalise the fight against graft, Mr Murungi said institutions would be created to deal with corruption, crimes against humanity and human-rights violations. The organisations demanded that a tribunal be set up to investigate all judges suspected of misconduct, arguing that removal of judicial officers implicated in corruption and abuse of office would pave the way for reforms in all other public institutions. |
