Omar resigns as KNCHR deputy

The Kenya National Commission on Human Rights vice chairman Hassan Omar has resigned.

He will, however, continue serving the rights body as commissioner.

Mr Omar said the vice chairman's role is largely administrative and he wanted to free himself so as to serve Kenyans in a wider capacity.

"I have held wide consultations with people in the human rights community and my family and resolved not to allow any kind of obstruction to block me from carrying out my duty as a human rights campaigner," Mr Omar said.

The KNCHR has been embroiled in wrangles pitting chairperson Florence Simbiri- Jaoko and Mr Omar centred on an alleged leak of vital witness protection information by a commissioner.

The witness is believed to be among those who have come forward to give their accounts on Kenya's post election violence that followed a disputed election in 2007.

Alleged leaks

A section of the commission led by Ms Jaoko wants disciplinary action to be taken against Mr Omar for speaking to the press about alleged leaks of witness information.

However, Mr Omar allayed fears of divisions between him and the vice chairperson.

He said he had nothing against Ms Simbiri-Jaoko only that they "disagree as professions but have a common cause".

Mr Omar described the KNCHR chairperson as "open minded" saying that he enjoyed working with her.

But, he said his differences with the other commissioners were "fundamental and irreconcilable".

The KNCHR released a report: On the brink of a precipice: A human rights account of Kenya's 2007 post election violence in which it linked 219 suspects to the chaos that left 1,133 people dead and a further 650,000 uprooted from their homes.