TJRC begins Mt Elgon probe next week

By Vincent Bartoo

The Truth Justice and Reconciliation Commission (TJRC) has announced it will start taking statements from victims of injustices perpetrated in Mt Elgon District from Monday next week.

The TJRC Chief Executive Officer Patricia Nyaundi said she has visited the area to prepare the ground for the commission’s work.

"I have been to Mt Elgon the past week and set in motion the first task for the commission. We have already recruited statement takers who are ready to start working on Monday," she told a press conference in Eldoret on Thursday.

Nyaundi said the commission has split the district in divisions and will have statement takers in each of the divisions.

"We will start in Kapsokwony, Cheptais and Kaptama divisions. We will also seek out displaced people who fled Mt Elgon to neighbouring Chwele and Kimilili areas," she added.

Nyaundi also said the commission will take statements from prisoners at the Bungoma GK prison who were convicted or are awaiting trial in relation to the Mt Elgon clashes.

"We will focus on politically instigated violence, extra-judicial acts, marginalisation, sexual violence and land disputes in the area, all of which fall under the TJRC mandate," she said.

Nyaundi said the exercise will take two weeks, but may be extended to a month depending on the workload.

"From Mt Elgon, we will then draw up a countrywide programme during which we hope the Government would have given us enough money to hire staff across the country," she said. Nyaundi explained that the commission would take statements from victims and locals publicly, and others in camera.