Mutula steps in to settle row in rights team

The government on Wednesday stepped in to try and resolve squabbles threatening the operations of its key human rights watchdog.

Justice minister Mutula Kilonzo summoned top officials of the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights to a meeting in his office to unravel leadership wrangles facing it.

Details of the two hour meeting remained scanty, but Mr Kilonzo later on told the Nation that he will not allow the commission “to go down the drain”.

“I had called the meeting to find out what is ailing the commission and whether the leadership squabbles I am reading in the media is true... it was just an exploratory meeting,” said Mr Kilonzo.

“I cannot allow this institution to go down the drain. I have a strong interest on what is happening in the commission as the line minister in charge. However, it is too early to discuss what transpired during our meeting in the media,” he added.

Seven out of the eight commissioners of KNCHR have passed a vote of no confidence on embattled chair Ms Florence Jaoko, stripped her of all her powers and appointed a committee of three to run the organisation.

Scoffed at ouster

Ms Jaoko has however scoffed at her ouster bid, saying the commissioners had no mandate to do so and insisted that she is still the head of the organisation.

Although the law does not give the commissioners powers to remove the chairperson, Ms Jaoko’s critics argue that since they elected her they could also kick her out.

The commissioners meeting with the Justice minister appeared not to have achieved much. At one point, Mr Kilonzo left the meeting, leaving the commissioners to continue deliberations on their own.

Speaking after the meeting at Cooperative House on Wednesday, Ms Jaoko said they were holding consultations to resolve differences in the organisation.

At a separate press conference, lawyers appeared to defend Ms Jaoko by questioning her alleged removal from office. The International Commission of Jurists-Kenya, Federation of Women Lawyers and Law Society of Kenya said they were not aware of any legal provisions that mandated the commissioners to remove the chair.

“We are concerned that the rights commission has purported to remove from office its own chairperson. The reasons for purported removal remain unclear to us,” the Fida executive director Grace Maingi Kimani said.

Ms Kimani, her ICJ counterpart George Kegoro, Njonjo Mue (ICJ council member) and Felistas Njoroge (ICJ vice-chairperson) said if the commission is to remain accountable, “this major development must be backed by solid reasons”.

The reasons must not only be agreed upon internally among the commissioners but must also be explained to the public which has expectations on the Commission, the lawyers said.