ICC-01/09-01/11-252-Anx4 11-08-2011 1/160 RH PT OA2 ANNEX 4 ICC-01/09-01/11-252-Anx4 11-08-2011 2/160 RH PT OA2 KENYA NATIONAL COMMISSION ON HUMAN RIGHTS ON THE BRINK OF THE PRECIPICE: A HUMAN RIGHTS ACCOUNT OF KENYA’S POST‐2007 ELECTION VIOLENCE August 2008 On the Brink of the Precipice: A Human Rights Account of Kenya’s Post‐2007 Election Violence 1 Preliminary Edition ICC-01/09-01/11-252-Anx4 11-08-2011 3/160 RH PT OA2 TABLE OF CONTENTS ACRONYMS .................................................................................................................................... 3 PREFACE ......................................................................................................................................... 4 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ................................................................................................................... 5 MAPS ............................................................................................................................................... EXECUTIVE SUMMARY .................................................................................................................... 6 KEY FINDINGS ..................................................................................................................................... 7 RECOMMENDATIONS ....................................................................................................................... 10 CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................... 12 CHAPTER TWO: TRIGGERS, FUELERS AND ROOT CAUSES OF The VIOLENCE ..................................... 20 CHAPTER THREE: PROTESTS, VIOLENCE AND DIALOGUE ................................................................. 31 CHAPTER FOUR: THEATRES OF VIOLENCE ....................................................................................... 37 NAIROBI REGION .............................................................................................................................. 37 THE SOUTH RIFT REGION .................................................................................................................. 49 NORTH RIFT REGION ......................................................................................................................... 59 CENTRAL RIFT REGION ...................................................................................................................... 70 NYANZA REGION ............................................................................................................................... 86 WESTERN REGION ............................................................................................................................ 97 COAST REGION ............................................................................................................................... 102 CENTRAL REGION ............................................................................................................................ 109 CHAPTER FIVE: FINDINGS ON NATIONAL TRENDS AND PATTERNS OF THE VIOLENCE ..................... 116 CHAPTER SIX: FINDINGS ON RESPONSIBILITY UNDER DOMESTIC AND INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL LAW FRAMEWORKS ..................................................................................................................... 126 CHAPTER SEVEN: IMPACT OF THE VIOLENCE ON KENYA’S OBLIGATIONS ....................................... 144 CHAPTER EIGHT: REMOVING THE SHIELD OF IMPUNITY ................................................................ 152 BACK FROM THE PRECIPICE? A POSTSCRIPT.................................................................................. 156 On the Brink of the Precipice: A Human Rights Account of Kenya’s Post‐2007 Election Violence 2 Preliminary Edition ICC-01/09-01/11-252-Anx4 11-08-2011 4/160 RH PT OA2 ACRONYMS ACHPR – African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights AP – Administration Police AU – African Union CIPEV – Commission of Inquiry into Post‐Election Violence CRC – Convention on the Rights of the Child CSO – Civil Society Organisation ECK – Electoral Commission of Kenya FBO – Faith‐Based Organisation GEMA – Gikuyu, Embu, Meru and Akamba GSU – General Service Unit ICC ‐ International Criminal Court ICCPR – International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights ICERD – International Convention on Elimination of Racial Discrimination ICESCR – International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights IMLU – Independent Medical Legal Unit KNCHR – Kenya National Commission on Human Rights KPTJ – Kenyans for Peace with Truth and Justice NARC – National Rainbow Coalition NPWJ – No Peace Without Justice NSIS – National Security Intelligence Service ODM (K) – Orange Democratic Movement ‐ Kenya ODM – Orange Democratic Movement PNU – Party of National Unity SLDF – Sabaot Land Defence Force TJRC – Truth, Justice and Reconciliation Commission UDHR – Universal Declaration of Human Rights UN – United Nations On the Brink of the Precipice: A Human Rights Account of Kenya’s Post‐2007 Election Violence 3 Preliminary Edition ICC-01/09-01/11-252-Anx4 11-08-2011 5/160 RH PT OA2 PREFACE The Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR), pursuant to Section 16 of the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights Act, 2002, investigated the human rights violations that took place in Kenya following the disputed December 2007 presidential election results. Based on the investigations carried out, the Commission is issuing this special report to the President and the National Assembly under Section 21 (1) of the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights Act, which provides that the Commission may at any time submit special reports to the President and to the National Assembly on any matter. We request the President, the Prime Minister, the Minister for Justice, National Cohesion and Constitutional Affairs, the Attorney General, Members of Parliament, state agencies, civil society, the international community, the International Criminal Court (ICC), and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, to study this report and take note of and implement its findings and recommendations. Nairobi, 7 August 2008 Florence Simbiri‐Jaoko, Chairperson ……………………………….. Hassan Omar Hassan, Vice Chair ……………………………………… Wambui Kimathi, Commissioner …………………………………….. Winfred Lichuma, Commissioner …………………………………….. Lawrence Mute, Commissioner ……………………………………….. Samuel Torerei, Commissioner ………………………………………… Fatuma Ibrahim, Commissioner ……………………………………….. Fatuma Dullo, Commissioner ……………………………………………. Mburu Gitu, Commission Secretary ………………………………….. On the Brink of the Precipice: A Human Rights Account of Kenya’s Post‐2007 Election Violence 4 Preliminary Edition ICC-01/09-01/11-252-Anx4 11-08-2011 6/160 RH PT OA2 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The Commission gratefully acknowledges the many Kenyans who talked to us on the post‐election violence. It was not easy for many of them to narrate their painful experiences, but they did so with great courage. The Commission in a special way acknowledges the technical co‐operation of No Peace Without Justice (NPWJ), an international non‐profit organisation that supported the conceptualisation and implementation of the documentation and investigation work on the post‐election violence. National experts supported the analysis of the information gathered; many others spent long hours filling and inputting information and data received. We are grateful to them. The Commission appreciates the backing of many development partners who supported this work through their Nairobi offices. Lastly, we acknowledge the participation and contribution of Commissioners and staff. On the Brink of the Precipice: A Human Rights Account of Kenya’s Post‐2007 Election Violence 5 Preliminary Edition ICC-01/09-01/11-252-Anx4 11-08-2011 7/160 RH PT OA2 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY TERMS OF REFERENCE The Kenya National Commission on Human rights (KNCHR) is Kenya’s National Human Rights Institution with statutory mandates to protect and promote the human rights of all individuals living in Kenya. Following the post‐election violence in Kenya after the 2007 General Election, we determined that it was incumbent on us, the National Commission, to undertake an investigation on the character and scope of the human rights violations which happened during the perpetration of violence particularly in the period between December 2007 and the end of February 2008. The overall aim of the investigation was to document the post‐election violence to ensure that there would be a comprehensive record of the violations committed during that period as a basis for enabling redress of such violations. The specific aims of the investigations were threefold. Our first aim was to assess treaty‐founded human rights obligations of Kenya as a state as well as the obligations of various non‐state actors whose actions or omissions contributed to the violations. In this respect, the investigation would Identify breached obligations and recommend appropriate remedies for victims; it would identify state failures in the immediate context of the violence and recommend measures to prevent future failures; identify the underlying causes of the violence and recommend measures to address them; and recommend accountability measures to effectively redress these violations and to deter future violations. The second aim of the investigation was to analyse the criminal responsibility of alleged perpetrators within the frameworks of international criminal law and domestic criminal law, to