Kenneth Ogosia
6 June 2008
Nairobi — ODM is demanding unconditional release from custody for youths arrested in connection with post-election violence and not amnesty.
Amnesty could only be given to people who have been found guilty or convicted and not to the innocent, Lands minister James Orengo said Thursday.
He said the youths had been kept in custody beyond the constitutionally prescribed time of 48 hours for petty offences and 14 days for capital crimes.
Mr Orengo said a state of legal anarchy was being fermented in the country since the police simply conducted a swoop leading to the arrest of the youths and not investigations-driven arrests.
"The media has been misusing the word amnesty to portray that ODM is admitting that the youths are guilty and should be pardoned. In criminal justice, you cannot demand amnesty for innocent people until they are proved guilty," he said.
Prosecution
Mr Orengo told journalists in his office that the attorney general had been instructed to conduct an audit and determine cases that cannot stand prosecution and act accordingly.
The Ugenya MP said civil servants should stop commenting on issues they had no capacity to interpret because the two principals, President Kibaki and Prime Minister Raila Odinga, were best suited to guide the country on such weighty matters.
He also appealed to fellow ministers to refrain from dividing the Government along those in the "kitchen" and outsiders.
Mr Orengo said the ODM Parliamentary Group would meet on Monday to issue the party position on the matter.
"The law is very clear on how long one should be held in custody including murder suspects. These cases are already time barred," he said after a meeting with US ambassador to Kenya Michael Ranneberger.
The envoy said technical experts had been seconded from the US to improve lands service delivery especially on computerisation of the registries.
The National Land Policy will Friday be discussed and way forward developed in a workshop at Safari Park Hotel.
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Anybody close to Barrack Obama or has access to him must advise him to keep a mile away from Raila who claims to be his cousin (more by osmosis than blood/DNA)Raila is a liability to Obama at present with his thoughtless calls for blanket amnesty of criminals and the Envoy seems not bothered by such unorthodox behaviour.Remember Raila is Bush's project and by extension John MacCain's project! His cosy relationship with Bush's pointman in Kenya,Runnanberg,is suspect. What did he promise Bush if the later crowned him Prime Minister?Now we hear the envoy is arranging for Raila to address the American Congress in Washington. Kenyans should be weary of Runnanberg-He is a Republican to boot and John MaCcain's campaigner. Republicans are reported capable of playing real dirty campaign-games. Remember Clinton's accerellated Lewinsky saga? Nixon 's bugging of Democrats etc,etc,?This Envoy has been Raila's and ODM's buddy during the clashes and genocide and all he does is shed crocodile tears over the plight of the IDPs.GOP9the other name for the republican Party)is reported to have contributed substantive campaign money to ODM. Runniberg is putting a trap for Obama through Raila in a very subtle way. Soon, you will hear a Republican explosion of the Rev. Wright magnitituded having had its origins from Kenya and it will have come from Runniberg/Raila marriage.I love Obama's sincerity and hate Raila's hypocrisy! People of Kolego in Nyanza, guard your grandson's interests and let him disassociate himself from Raila the way he did with his beloved American pastor Wright when he proved an embarrassment and a liability.Runniberg could be a Republican spy here in Kenya.Remember,Republicans are known to play real dirty!ODM has proved capable of playing real dirty.They are birds of a feather.
Yes republican contributed immensely to the chaos in kenya on the guise of demo-crazy. As you imply they will use that againist obama just because raila says he is his cousin which is not true. Raila is a chamelion which can change colour any time watch out obama he is another wright.
Anybody close to Barrack Obama or has access to him must advise him to keep a mile away from Raila who claims to be his cousin (more by osmosis than blood/DNA)Raila is a liability to Obama at present with his thoughtless calls for blanket amnesty of criminals and the Envoy seems not bothered by such unorthodox behaviour.Remember Raila is Bush's project and by extension John MacCain's project! His cosy relationship with Bush's pointman in Kenya,Runnanberg,is suspect. What did he promise Bush if the later crowned him Prime Minister?Now we hear the envoy is arranging for Raila to address the American Congress in Washington. Kenyans should be weary of Runnanberg-He is a Republican to boot and John MaCcain's campaigner. Republicans are reported capable of playing real dirty campaign-games. Remember Clinton's accerellated Lewinsky saga? Nixon 's bugging of Democrats etc,etc,?This Envoy has been Raila's and ODM's buddy during the clashes and genocide and all he does is shed crocodile tears over the plight of the IDPs.GOP9the other name for the republican Party)is reported to have contributed substantive campaign money to ODM. Runniberg is putting a trap for Obama through Raila in a very subtle way. Soon, you will hear a Republican explosion of the Rev. Wright magnitituded having had its origins from Kenya and it will have come from Runniberg/Raila marriage.I love Obama's sincerity and hate Raila's hypocrisy! People of Kolego in Nyanza, guard your grandson's interests and let him disassociate himself from Raila the way he did with his beloved American pastor Wright when he proved an embarrassment and a liability.Runniberg could be a Republican spy here in Kenya.Remember,Republicans are known to play real dirty!ODM has proved capable of playing real dirty.They are birds of a feather.