Mutula steps up drive to form local tribunal

By Beauttah Omanga and Ramadhan Rajab

The Government is determined to see a Bill to establish a local tribunal sail through Parliament to avoid embarrassing the Grand Coalition.

Justice and Constitutional Affairs Minister Mutula Kilonzo said they were talking to individual MPs and party leaders to ensure consensus before a date is set for tabling the Bill.

"The Principals President Kibaki and PM Raila Odinga are committed as before and are involved in reaching out to MPs to ensure they agree to the formation of a local tribunal," said Mutula.

He clarified that the Tribunal Bill has never been tabled in Parliament but that the Kenya law Review team was working on it.

He regretted that Kenyans had been misled to believe that a Tribunal Bill was tabled and defeated.

"What was defeated was the entrenchment of the establishment of a Tribunal in the Constitution," the minister said yesterday.

He disclosed that a conference on the formation of the tribunal would be held in July, during which decisions on the way forward regarding the Justice Waki recommendations and the tribunal are concerned.

"I have appointed Ambassador Bethwel Kiplagat to organise the conference.

"The conference will bring on board representatives of IDPs, community leaders of areas worst hit by post-election violence and the Serena dialogue team," said Mutula.

He said Dr Annan has been invited to attend the conference.

He told The Standard he had secured an appointment with the ICC chief prosecutor Luis Moreno Ocampo and the International Criminal Court’s judges in July 3 to brief them on Kenya’s position.

Mediation progress

He said the Serena Team would meet on July 30 to review progress of the mediation agreements.

He said it was wrong for Annan to issue ultimatums to the Government "outside the Serena team".

The minister said his recent meetings with clerics, the legal fraternity and scholars in different fields were part of the campaign to see the Bill passed.

Since he assumed office after Narc-Kenya leader Martha Karua resigned, Mutula has engaged relevant departments under his ministry to achieve his goals.

"I am not gunning for any higher political office but I will reach out to all," he said.

During a meeting with the Catholic Church’s Episcopal members, the minister’s campaign received a boost as the church bought his idea for a local tribunal.

Mutula later met officials of the NCCK led by Canon Peter Karanja.

It was not clear if he convinced them to change its position of collecting one million signatures to press for the Hague option.