Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki on Tuesday, June 20, agreed to take over the case of Bernard Ndege who lost his entire family of seven in a fire during the 2007 post-election violence.
The National Assembly’s Departmental Committee on Administration and Internal Security questioned Kindiki on why Ndege had been left out while other victims affected by the violence were compensated.
According to the committee, those affected received Ksh200,000 compensation while others got Ksh400,000 alongside parcels of land.
The senators argued that Ndege had been in the spotlight and his story highlighted by both the local and international media, yet he had not received any compensation.
“What other evidence would you want? We don't understand how these people were left out because some of them say that they have not even met any government official.
“Ndege was the face of the whole calamity both nationally and internationally. If Ndege has not been compensated to date, then it is very clear that there are other several cases,” the committee emphatically stated.
The committee also questioned the criteria that were used to select the victims who received the compensation noting that it was unfair for Ndege.
In response, the CS stated that, alongside the security agencies, he would look into the matter to ensure that every Kenyan was treated fairly and with the same measure.
However, he argued that there were individuals who used the compensation process for their personal benefit adding that others presented falsified documents.
“I want to assure this committee that we are open to ensuring that all Kenyans get justice and that no one is mistreated differently for whatever reason.
“We are aware as security managers that there are so many imposters and people who want to benefit from the process by presenting fake narratives and, therefore, we will be careful as much as we want closure so that the process is not misused,” the CS noted.
The committee appreciated efforts by Kindiki to resettle those who had been displaced and affected by the post-election violence and for agreeing to reopen the matter to ensure fairness for all Kenyans.
"We are happy that you have indicated that human rights issues cannot be closed. So whoever had put down that the matter was closed, I am happy to hear that you have opened it up and will look into it," added the committee.
Over 1,200 people died in the violence while over 350,000 others were displaced.
