NAIROBI, Kenya, Feb 23 – The Special Tribunal Bill, seeking to create a local panel to try post-election violence suspects, may be headed back to Parliament according to the Leader of Government Business in the House.
Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka said that a local tribunal is the best mechanism to achieve justice for post election violence victims.
The VP stated that The Hague is likely to try only those who bear the greatest responsibility for the melee, leaving out other offenders.
“When the local tribunal is set up, it will not target members of a specific community. Members of the tribunal will be guided by the local and international criminal laws to dispense justice,” Mr Musyoka noted.
He was speaking in Kirinyaga district where he urged Kenyans to have confidence in the local tribunal, saying that it will go a long way in ending impunity in the country.
“Impunity is a national problem whether it is theft of public funds or perpetration of violence. We have to deal with it as a country in order to enable the nation move forward as a united entity.”
He however admitted that there is need to restore confidence in local institutions such as the Judiciary.
The Vice President also urged Kenyan leaders both political and religious to stop their blame game for mistakes already made and instead contribute ideas to help move the country forward.
“We all know we have made mistakes in the past. Let us acknowledge them and use them as lessons to guide us to do right, now and in the future,” Mr Musyoka stated.
The VP, who is the Scouts Chief Commissioner, further outlined that a government plans to lay out a strategic plan to enroll one million scouts by the year 2013 has been put in place.
To date, the Scout Movement is the single largest Youth Association in the country with over 300,000 boys and girls over 20,000 scout leaders.
Mr Musyoka expressed the government’s commitment to continue supporting the initiative saying it offers very good training for the youth in areas of leadership, responsibility and character formation, thereby supplementing government efforts to prepare the youth for their future in nation building.
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