Witness protection agency unveiled ahead of Hague hearing

By Steve Mkawale

Kenya has launched an independent Witness Protection Agency a few weeks before the confirmation of charges against the ‘Ocampo six’ at The Hague.

The formation of the agency comes at a time when the police have instituted fresh investigations into the post election violence with the aim of reversing the process at the International Criminal Court.

Officers from the Criminal Investigation Department have already grilled suspended cabinet ministers William Ruto and Henry Kosgey over their alleged roles in the post election violence that left some 1,600 Kenyans dead and over half a million uprooted from their homes.

However, the launch of the agency that will fight impunity and restore confidence in the country’s justice system is likely to suffer set back due to financial constraints.

Attorney General Amos Wako, who launched the agency on Friday at the Kenyatta International Conference Centre, said the Government has only allocated it Sh200 million in the 2011/2012 Budget, which he described as “a drop in the ocean.”

“I would like to urge the advisory board to immediately start looking for funds from development partners. This is going to be a very expensive exercise,” he said, “We are dealing with major crimes here and the witnesses will be relocated to other countries.

Lawyers of the Ocampo Six arrive at the International Criminal Court. The Government has unveiled an Independent Witness Protection Agency ahead of “Ocampo Six” hearings. [Photo: File/Standard]