AFRICA/KENYA - Kenya admits crimes committed by police, denounced in a UN report

Nairobi (Agenzia Fides) - “The Government acknowledges there have been cases of unlawful killings within the police force, in respect of which investigations into 53 cases have been completed and 81 police officers prosecuted since the year 2000.” These were the words of Kenya's Internal Security Minister George Saitoti, who admitted before the 11th session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva (Switzerland), that there had been cases of extra-judicial executions committed by police officials, confirming the accusations raised in the recent report from UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights, Philip Alston. The Alston document claims to have found proof linking police officials to extra-judicial killings and denounces the inefficiency and corruption in the justice system, as well as the threats received by human rights activists by government workers (see Fides 29/5/2009).
The report from the UN Special Rapporteur has been a cause for fierce debate in Kenya and great embarrassment for the government, whose representatives were preparing to attend the Geneva Conference.
The embarrassment was heightened, as the coalition government has been divided over how to respond to Alston's accusations. The Kenyan delegation had prepared a report highly criticizing that of the UN Rapporteur. However, Prime Minister Odinga's party has affirmed that it was never consulted on the issue and wanted its own representation in the delegation sent to Geneva. As a result, two Ministers of his party were included in the delegation. They convinced the other delegates to change the position of the government and admit to the truth about the existence of crimes committed by the police.
The government of national union is formed by the party of President Kibaki and that of Prime Minister Odinga, the two “strong men” of the country who ran against one another in the presidential elections of December 2007, won first by Kibaki (incumbent President) and later challenged by Odinga. In January-February 2008, the political conflict degenerated in various parts of the nation, causing hundreds of deaths and at least one million refugees. The crisis was overcome with the formation of a government of national unity, with the participation of both sides. However, in recent times, tensions have arisen within the government, leading authorities in the Catholic Church to ask that the politicians consider the common good and not the division of power (see Fides 19/5/2009). (LM) (Agenzia Fides 4/6/2009)