Study cautions against naming Kenya chaos suspects

Naming and shaming suspected perpetrators of the post-election violence could trigger new violence, a new report warns.

“Secondly, political elite or influential figures may view the incitement of violence as a possible bargaining tool,” it warns.

The report was launched the same week it emerged that International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo could go before judges in an open court, on December 15, to start the Kenyan case. This means those indicted could be known on that date.

But the report: “Embracing the Practice of Conflict Sensitive Approaches: An analysis of the Kenyan Context”, notes: “Given the linkages between political elite and the instigation of local level violence, consequences of ICC involvement could well include widespread localised backlash in supporter or home regions of those indicted.”

“Presuming trends of violent conflict remain similar to those in the past, the possibility of a renewed cycle of conflict is likely to be sparked with attacks prompting revenge attacks,” says the report by a group of international NGOs led by ActionAid.

Speaking on the sidelines of the Thursday launch, the chairman of the National Cohesion and Integration Commission, Dr Mzalendo Kibunjia, said the commission was concerned that some Kenyans were spreading hatred through social media.

Dr Kibunjia said members of a certain community — one of those that were most affected by the 2008 post-election violence — were urging one another, through Facebook, to attack members of another community.

He warned: “We have written to Facebook to alert them to be on the lookout,” adding, the commission had printed out some of the pages with the hate messages and would share them with law enforcement agencies.

He added that the commission was working on an early-warning and early-response strategy to ensure that violence does not recur, and that they would apply the recommendations of the civil society report.