23 July 2008
Nairobi — The violent evictions in Rift Valley Province were well-coordinated and heavily funded, a human rights body has said.
The Kenya Human Rights Commission executive director, Ms Muthoni Wanyeki, Tuesday told the Waki commission of inquiry into the post-election violence that intensive investigations into the violence unearthed the names of those who funded the evictions and killings.
Trained for war
Ms Wanyeki said investigations in 29 constituencies had established that those who bankrolled the bloody evictions were mainly politicians eyeing parliamentary seats.
The KHRC, she said, had given the names of the politicians to the commission sitting at the Kenyatta International Conference Centre.
During cross-examination by lawyer Mbuthi Gathenji, for Rift Valley Internally Displaced Persons, Ms Wanyeki said gangs of youths who executed the acts of violence had earlier been trained for war at selected camps in the province.
Ms Wanyeki, who in the morning gave her evidence in camera, further said she had furnished the commission with names of the places where the training camps were located.
"Those who perpetrated the violence wore uniform and were armed with bows and arrows," she said.
In the run-up to the polling day, she testified, hate SMS were circulated urging residents of one community to vote for a particular political party.
Ms Wanyeki said there was widespread oathing in the province.
Even before the election campaigns, the KHRC boss said, there was a deliberate move to force out certain communities from areas like Kuresoi in Molo District.
Those uprooted from their homes were "the poor of the poorest who owned no more than two acres."
She said she had yet to hear of anyone being charged with incitement through hate speeches.
Ms Wanyeki recommended that the Judiciary be strengthened to deal with cases of human rights abuse.
"The attorney-general's performance in handling human rights cases is far from satisfactory," she said.
On cross-examination by Captain Catherine Gichuki, for the Armed Forces, Ms Wanyeki recommended that the conduct of the military during Operation Okoa Maisha in Mt Elgon be investigated by the Waki commission.
She said she was not aware that civilians allegedly tortured by the army during the operation to flush out Sabaot Land Defence Force members were being treated at military camps in the area.
Capt Gichuki said allegations of torture could not be true if the torture victims were receiving treatment from army officers. The lawyer dismissed as untrue observations by KHRC that during the post-election violence, the military was never deployed in Kisumu and Eldoret.
The KHRC had indicated that the military had only been sent to Nakuru and Naivasha.
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