Amos Wako, Kenya's Attorney-General, has told the country's Commission of Inquiry into Post-Election Violence that politicians who fomented violence should not be let off the hook. He believes that politicians who encouraged violence should not be allowed to serve in office, nor should they be granted amnesty for their deeds.
Wako's words are encouraging inasmuch as it appears that the country's legal leadership is serious about holding to account those responsible for the violence that consumed parts of the country after the tightly contested elections in March. One wonders, however, if Wako and the legal infrastructure would be able to follow through on the threats of maintaining accountability. And presuming that many of the guilty politicians still wield power and influence, might they be inclined to respond to state action by remobilizing their supporters? These concerns aside, Kenya seems on the right track by rejecting blanket amnesty for the perpetrators of politically-motivated violence.
