Washington, DC — The commander of the Kenyan army, Lieutenant General Augostino Njoroge, has dismissed charges of human rights abuses in the Mount Elgon region of Kenya as "imaginary."
"The military operate[s] following all human rights laws you can think of," Njoroge told AllAfrica in an interview during a visit to the United States. "I think everyone will appreciate the job that has been done." The army launched a counter-insurgency operation in Mount Elgon, a remote area of western Kenya, against the Sabaot Land Defence Force (SLDF) last month.
The SLDF was formed in 2005 to resist government efforts to evict squatters involved in a land dispute. The U.S.-based group, Human Rights Watch (HRW) and two Kenyan human rights organizations issued a statement earlier this month accusing both the SLDF and the army of committing abuses.
"The people of Mt. Elgon are being doubly victimized, first by the rebel militia and now by the army," said Georgette Gagnon, Africa director at HRW. "The [SLDF] has committed hideous crimes and people welcomed the army at first. But now Kenyan soldiers are abusing those they are supposed to protect." But Njoroge denied the HRW allegations, saying he has seen little evidence of human rights abuses committed by the military. He said journalists whom the army has asked for evidence have "all disappeared because they cannot prove [the accusations]."
He said although media access to Mount Elgon was restricted during the early part of the operation, he now welcomed journalists. "I think the time is ripe to be able to allow the media to see something for themselves, to talk to locals, and observe for themselves that abuses or whatever might have been observed by the media is all imaginary," he said.
Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters
Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox
Njoroge said that the Kenyan army does not plan to conduct an internal investigation into the accusations, but would consider asking outside groups for help. He added that the army did not intend staying long in the area. "Within a short time we will be able to exit and leave [it] to the local authorities to handle," he said.
On the basis of interviews with local people and eyewitnesses, HRW has accused the Kenyan military of unlawful killings, torture, detention, and gender-based violence. It says during the operation, authorities arrested almost every male over the age of 15 and took them for screening at a military base to determine if they were members of SLDF.
Torture was common at the base, HRW reported, and some had died as a result of beatings. A local human rights group has compiled a list of 23 missing people believed by local to be dead. In late March, the Daily Nation, a leading Nairobi newspaper, quoted a military source as saying the army had been dumping bodies in forests.
Military officials have consistently denied that anyone died in their custody.
