Cabral Pinto
24 October 2008
opinion
Whether presidential, parliamentary or simply governmental, commissions of inquiry have been part of the Kenyan politics since independence in 1963.
The commissions have two common denominators -- they are too expensive and their recommendations are rarely implemented.
They have been used for various purposes -- to defuse political tensions, forestall regime change, suppress popular revolt, cover up monumental crimes, evil and wrong-doing, protect the perpetrators of murder, rape, ethnic cleansing and corruption, divert the nation's attention from important issues, humiliate victims and survivors of wrong-doing and promote impunity and the ruling class's arrogance.
So of what use are these commissions other than serving the ruling class's interests?
KENYANS SHOULD NOT UNDERESTIMATE the importance of the commissions' records. We must make sure we protect and preserve all of them.
There comes a time when there will be a regime with the political will to address the wrongs. Whether they are dead or alive, the perpetrators of evil against Kenyans will ultimately be held accountable.
Kenyans are now focusing on the implementation of various commissions' recommendations.
This is a good development. What is not clear, however, is the implementation strategies. One that does not work is expecting goodwill on the part of the Government, for none will be forthcoming.
Another strategy that will not work is condemning the wrongs and making noise, but having no plan for a follow-up.
Many lobby groups have perfected this strategy. But have these organisations forgotten Mzee Jomo Kenyatta's dictum that the "croaking of frogs does not stop cattle from drinking water?"
If the frogs became crocodiles the scenario would, of course, change.
The lobbies may want to learn a lesson or two from the J.M. Kariuki family, which has kept burning the fire of the search for justice over the Nyandarua North MP's murder. the family has been adept at seeking new allies as new issues on impunity come up. It has never lost the hope that, one day, justice will be done.
Two lobby groups initiatives have realised that to fight impunity an organisation must engage the issue full time until it is resolved one way or the other.
The Movement for Political Accountability (Mopa) undertakes to stay with the issue of political accountability as its core business, just as does the Release Political Prisoners (RPP) on political impunity.
If both organisations nurture social movements around issues of political accountability and impunity, there will be in Kenya a strong constituency to make sure that politicians do not get off the hook on impunity and accountability.
The social movements must, however, politicise their work. Pressure on politicians is not always useful if not accompanied by the real threat of wresting state power from them.
A truth, justice and reconciliation commission, if properly used, will provide an opportunity for the resurrection of the forgotten recommendations of all former commissions.
Politicians will play politics as usual, using issues that divide Kenyans as a means of ensuring that the commission does not make any recommendations against them (politicians).
Issues of ethnicity, race, religion, region, gender and generation have been manipulated by politicians to get away with murder, so to speak. The easiest way to ensure they do not succeed is asking simple questions that dwell on class. For instance, who owns land in Kenya?
WHO OWNS AND CONTROLS INDUSTRY in Kenya? Why are the poor found in all the communities? Why are the rich in all the communities? Why are the poor killing the poor?
One very useful strategy of dealing with the issue of impunity is having a political party take it on as its core agenda. So far, none has decided to invest in this issue and keep it alive.
The issue of accountability and impunity has to be politicised. If this is done, there will be strategies to deal with the political evidence that the commissions unearth.
A political party that claims to be that of alternative politics in Kenya must use the evidence to wrest state power from the current politicians.
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