Odhiambo Orlale And Dan Obiero
21 January 2008
Nairobi — The team appointed by President Kibaki last week to spearhead dialogue and reconciliation towards quelling political violence sparked by his controversial swearing-in is expected to begin work Monday.
President Kibaki, who observers and ODM leaders consider to have been declared President on December 30 before vote tallying could be ascertained, named the team last Friday in a statement and mandated it to promote international understanding and good relations on the political problems facing the country.
Apart from the VP and Attorney-General Amos Wako, the other members in the team are ministers Ms Martha Karua (Justice and Constitutional Affairs), Mr Amos Kimunya (Finance), Mr Uhuru Kenyatta (Local Government), Prof George Saitoti (Internal Security) and Mr Moses Wetang'ula (Foreign Affairs). Others are Chirau Mwakwere (Transport), Mbooni MP Mutula Kilonzo, and any other person who will be co-opted by the committee.
University of Nairobi lecturer Ludeki Chweya and director of legal affairs at the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs, Mr Geoffrey Gichira Kibaara, are named as joint secretaries.
The PPS statement did not explain how the team would carry out its mandate and when it would start work.
Over the weekend, the VP held talks with members of the Africa Forum for Peace Mission and a high level team from the European Union, led by its commissioner, Mr Louis Michel. He briefed them on the efforts the Government was making to restore peace and disclosed plans to establish a truth and justice commission.
He said the proposed commission would seek to address the causes of the post-election violence that has left over 600 people dead, 250,000 displaced and property worth billions of shillings destroyed in the past three weeks.
The commission would also seek to spearhead the healing process in the country.
During the closed-door meeting, Mr Musyoka said ODM would be invited to nominate representatives to the proposed commission and appealed to it to appoint a delegation.
"The commission is an internal mechanism aimed at addressing the root cause of the chaos, which has taken an ethnic dimension," Mr Musyoka had said.
Meanwhile, three ODM leaders have rejected Mr Musyoka's leading role as peacemaker in the political stand-off.
The three MPs - Kisumu Town West's Aluoch Olago, Kisumu Town East's Shakeel Shabbir Fredrick Outa of Nyando accused Mr Musyoka of applying double standards by accepting the VP's post in an illegitimate government.
The leaders were speaking Sunday during prayers to commemorate the death of Kenya's first Vice-President Jaramogi Oginga Odinga at St Stephen's Cathedral in Kisumu.
They urged Kisumu residents to embrace peaceful demonstration and avoid any form of hooliganism, which is contrary to the spirit of the ODM protests.
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