Tuesday, August 11, 2009

End Impunity website

Kenya MPs pushing for a special tribunal to try post-election violence suspects on Tuesday launched a website to seek public support.

The website www.endimpunityinkenya.org was launched in Nairobi with a call on the civil society, religious groups and the public to give their input to improve the proposed Bill.

“We want to make the process as interactive as possible,” Mr Imanyara said at the launch organised by the Law Society of Kenya and the International Commission of Jurists.

Other MPs who attended the launch included: Mithika Linturi, Charles Onyancha, Alango Aluoch, Joseph Nkaissery, David Eseli, Yusuf Chanzu, Chachu Ganya, Martin Ogindo and Silas Muriuki.

Also in attendance were former MP Paul Muite, civil society leaders Harun Ndumbi and Ndungu Wainaina and representatives from LSK, ICJ and the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights.

The MPs who spoke voiced their support for the bill and vowed to lobby their colleagues to raise the required two-thirds majority.

They, however, asked legal experts to help fine-tune the bill so that it is not rejected in parliament as it happened in February.

“The local tribunal that MPs rejected earlier was too porous. And in this bill I see the attempt to deal with all those loopholes,” Mr Ogindo said.

The MPs are still concerned over the definition of ‘persons bearing the greatest responsibility’ and whether such individuals will be asked to step aside once indicted.

“There are powerful individuals who when indicted may interfere with the investigations and the proceedings,” said Mr Eseli.

Mr Muite said that the bill deserves the support of all Kenyans. He also defended the backbench MPs who he said had not changed their mind but were improving on what they had rejected

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