- The Kenyan rights commission has appealed for the withdrawal of Special Tribunal for Kenya bill for at least six weeks until all the proposed amendments have been addressed in the bill.
Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR) chairperson Florence Simbiri-Jaoko said the bill which is expected to be decided by votes on Tuesday, should be pulled out until all the concerned parties have reached a consensus.
She urged President Kibaki and Prime Minister Raila Odinga to encourage their supporters to agree to the proposed changes to the bill.
Last week, a vote to pass the Bill to entrench the Special Tribunal in the Constitution was frustrated by lack of quorum in Parliament. Parliament postponed the vote on the Constitutional (Amendment) Bill 2009 to Tuesday as Constitutional Affairs Minister Martha Karua called for support from President Kibaki and Prime Minister Raila Odinga.
KNCHR had pledged its support for the formation of the tribunal which it says it has access to available evidence and accessibility of witnesses. The Commission also wants a clause to be included in the Statute to permit the International Criminal Court to intervene in the event that the tribunal is rendered ineffective.
KNCHR Vice-Chairman Hassan Omar, on Sunday urged MPs to pass the Bill and pave way for the establishment of the tribunal, saying the commission is supporting a local solution backed with a strong legislation.
He regretted that politicians plotting to derail the formation of a local tribunal were driven by ethnic and partisan interests. "It is unfortunate that politicians have allowed political and ethnic interests to override the pursuit of justice. We have to drop politics on the issue of tribunal," he said.
Kenya is pushing for the formation of local tribunal to investigate the 2007 post election atrocities which left over 1,500 dead and forced thousands to flee their homes after the opposition party leader, Mr Odinga accused President Kibaki of vote rigging.
afrol News - It is called "financial inclusion", and it is a key government policy in Rwanda. The goal is that, by 2020, 90 percent of the population is to have and actively use bank accounts. And in only four years, financial inclusion has doubled in Rwanda.
afrol News - The UN's humanitarian agencies now warn about a devastating famine in Sudan and especially in South Sudan, where the situation is said to be "imploding". Relief officials are appealing to donors to urgently fund life-saving activities in the two countries.
afrol News - Fear is spreading all over West Africa after the health ministry in Guinea confirmed the first Ebola outbreak in this part of Africa. According to official numbers, at least 86 are infected and 59 are dead as a result of this very contagious disease.
afrol News - It is already a crime being homosexual in Ethiopia, but parliament is now making sure the anti-gay laws will be applied in practical life. No pardoning of gays will be allowed in future, but activist fear this only is a signal of further repression being prepared.
afrol News / Africa Renewal - Ethiopia's ambitious plan to build a US$ 4.2 billion dam in the Benishangul-Gumuz region, 40 km from its border with Sudan, is expected to provide 6,000 megawatts of electricity, enough for its population plus some excess it can sell to neighbouring countries.
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