Tutu commends Kenyans for confronting 'painful' past.(ENI)--Former South African Anglican Archbishop Desmond Tutu Noun 1. Desmond Tutu - South African prelate and leader of the antiapartheid struggle (born in 1931) Tutu has commended Kenya's attempt to confront its "painful" past through a truth commission, following the ousting of a decades-long government in elections last December. "You have made a wonderful beginning. There is no question that with your will, commitment, and prayer, you will succeed," said Archbishop Tutu, who chaired the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission that investigated the apartheid era and who won the Nobel Peace Prize The Nobel Peace Prize (Swedish and Norwegian: Nobels fredspris) is the name of one of five Nobel Prizes bequeathed by the Swedish industrialist and inventor Alfred Nobel. in 1984. "But you should tread carefully and sensitively given the ethnic differences in your country," cautioned the archbishop in his inaugural address at an international conference in Nairobi on truth commissions that took place in August. The conference, attended by world renowned professors, judges, members from other truth and reconciliation commissions, and human rights activists, was convened by a task force looking into the establishment in Kenya of a truth, justice and reconciliation commission. The task force was set up following last December's elections that defeated the ruling Kenya African National Union The Kenya African National Union, better known as KANU, ruled Kenya for nearly 40 years after its independence from British colonial rule in 1963, until its electoral loss at the end of 2002. It was known as Kenya African Union before it was renamed in 1960. party, which had been in power for 40 years and had faced allegations of corruption and human rights abuses. "We need to establish a commission to reconcile with each other so that we can find a way forward," Gideon Ireri, Anglican bishop An Anglican Bishop is a bishop in the Anglican church, either in the British Isles or beyond. Anglican Bishops
Kenya's minister for constitutional affairs, Kiraitu Murungi Kiraitu Murungi (born 1 January 1952) is a Kenyan politician. He has been accused of involvement in the Anglo Leasing Scandal. Education Murungi was born in Meru. , told the conference that mechanisms such as truth commissions, known as transitional justice  This WikiProject International law is in need of attention from an expert on the subject.Please help recruit one or [ improve this article] yourself. See the talk page for details. , were inescapable for countries emerging from decades of misrule mis·rule n. 1. Disorder or lawless confusion. 2. Inept or unwise rule; misgovernment. tr.v. mis·ruled, mis·rul·ing, mis·rules To rule ineptly, unjustly, or unwisely; misgovern. . "We must develop an agenda for transitional justice in Kenya, in which corruption and human rights abuses are ended," Mr. Murungi told the conference. "The past must be confronted and impunity, banished. The truth must be known, perpetrators must be called to account, and victims must be recognized and provided with redress." |
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