Parliament approves motion to send KDF to Tana

By PETER OPIYO

Parliament has asked President Kibaki to deploy the military in Tana Delta to end the killings.

The Motion, sponsored by Garsen MP Danson Mungatana, was amended to enable Parliament ask for the deployment after Attorney General Githu Muigai raised constitutional issues with the move.

The AG argued that the Constitution anticipates the Executive to initiate any deployment of the military and then seek parliamentary approval.

“Parliament is not responding to a request by the Executive and this is not what the Constitution anticipated. Parliament is now making the decision and asking the Executive to implement that decision,” said the AG.

This prompted Fafi MP Adan Sugow to amend the Motion to have Parliament request, instead of approve, the deployment of the military.

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Mr Sugow claimed that Galole MP Dhadho Godana was behind the attacks, less than a week after Acting Internal Security Minister Yusuf Haji also made the same accusations.

“The truth of the matter is that there has been a member of this House who went to the Press and said that unless Mr Haji is sacked the atrocities would continue and the following day this happened, and the member is Mr Godana,” he claimed.

This came as Internal Security assistant minister Simeon Lesrima told the House that over 1,000 General Service Unit officers have been dispatched to the region to restore normalcy.

At the same time, Budalang’i MP Ababu Namwamba said deploying the military is the prerogative of the President and Parliament cannot take over this function.

Mr Mungatana said the militia seem to be well organised and sponsored by powerful individuals.

“I’m not convinced that we can have 200 people living in a forest, eating, dressing and carrying attacks unnoticed without a sponsor. These people need to be interrogated and dealt with severely,” he said.

The MP said KDF have special training on how to navigate difficult terrain and this would come in handy in Tana Delta.

“KDF have special training on issues to do with the forest and terrain and are able to deal with the situation in Tana Delta. We don’t want the militia to rule the area again,” he added.

Bura MP Abdi Nuh said deployment of the military is necessary because of police inaction.

However, he said the military have an ugly history of committing atrocities wherever they carry out operations.  Kuresoi MP Zakayo Cheruiyot opposed deployment of the military in Tana Delta and accused the political leadership of failure.

Isiolo South MP Abdul Bahari also opposed the move to deploy the military over accusations of committing atrocities. Gichugu MP Martha Karua supported the Motion.