Kenya rights agency wants witnesses arrested

A human rights watchdog on Friday confirmed it had, earlier this year, placed Ken Braziz Wekesa and William Kipkemboi Rono in its safe houses in Nairobi.

The Kenya National Commission on Human Rights, however, denied coaching and bribing the two men to implicate Eldoret North MP William Ruto in their submissions on post-election violence.

It has asked police to arrest Mr Wekesa and Mr Rono for making false statements and lying to the commission while under oath.

“This is a legal and constitutional body and we can hold you responsible for the statements you record with us,” said Mr Omar Hassan, a commissioner.

Mr Hassan said the two should be brought to book for “criminally exposure” of the commission’s witness protection programme.

He said the commission would consult the State Law Office and other relevant government agencies to arrest and charge the two in court.

The commissioner noted that it was not uncommon for witnesses to retract their statements in cases as sensitive as the post-election violence.

Mr Hassan said Mr Wekesa and Mr Rono were not part of the 1,102 the commission interviewed in its report on the violence released in August 2008.

KNCHR also asked for the investigation of Mr Ruto for his role in the recent revelations of the two men and suggested he had instigated them.

Mr Hassan and fellow commissioner Fatuma Ibrahim said Mr Ruto’s recent attacks on KNCHR and the former vice-chairman, in particular, were acts of impunity fighting back.

“Hassan is targeted because they want to isolate individual commissioners and weaken the institution,” said Ms Ibrahim.

Mr Hassan said Mr Rono and Mr Wekesa approached the commission in January this year, backed by “credible institutions” and claimed their lives were in danger.

Mr Hassan said that on April 12 this year, the International Criminal Court indicated it was no longer interested in Mr Wekesa, but the commission continued protecting him as he was still unsafe.

Mr Rono was dropped as witness on October 12, when he met the ICC investigators, and the commission subsequently told him they could only keep him until January next year.

He said the two were no longer in danger as they have already exposed themselves as witnesses and compromised the safety of other potential witnesses.

Mr Hassan further accused Mr Wekesa of making contradicting statements on his activities and the alleged threat to his life.

He said Mr Wekesa first claimed he had escaped death in the violence, later alleged he was threatened, and had evidence, and much later claimed to have attended meetings to plan the violence.

Seek the truth

He added that the commission would present the evidence of the inconsistencies to any authority that seeks to find out the truth of the matter.

The commission spoke as a civil rights activist called for the formation of a Judicial Commission of Inquiry to investigate allegations of witness manipulation.

Mr Okiya Okoiti Omtata asked President Kibaki to set up an independent commission to investigate allegations raised by the Eldoret North MP.

“Whichever way we slice this story, it is criminal. And those involved must be held criminally liable without further delay. If Mr Ruto has manipulated the gentlemen to retract their incriminating accusations against him then he has committed a grave crime,” said Mr Omtata.

On his return from The Hague last Monday, Mr Ruto claimed that Mr Hassan had bribed and coached witnesses to implicate him in organising the violence that followed the 2007 General Election.

Mr Rono and Mr Wekesa emerged a day later with sworn affidavits that they had indeed been bribed and coached to implicate the suspended minister.

They showed journalists their fully-furnished apartments opposite the offices of the KNCHR on Lenana Road on Thursday.

On the same day Mr Ruto recorded a statement with the Criminal Investigations Department on hi allegations of witness bribery and coaching.

His statements have mainly been against Mr Hassan, but the commissioner yesterday downplayed the attacks, suggesting he would not reply.