Kenya’s parliament has approved a Truth, Justice and Reconciliation Commission that will probe human rights violations dating back to the country’s independence in 1963, according to BBC.

The TJRC was created when controversy arose among officials on how to deal with the violence that broke after December’s federal election. Nearly 1,500 were killed in violent outbreaks following the much disputed election. Almost 300,000 were forced to flee for safety.

International courts have been urged to help Kenya to try those allegedly responsible for the deaths, however these calls have gone largely unanswered.

That’s not surprising, international tribunals make a sport of ignoring African nations.

The TJRC’s first order of business will be to probe the post-election violence in order to discover its root cause.

The cause of these clashes are yet officially unknown, however they have been blamed on improper land distribution and outrage over alleged human rights violations by previous political leaders. It has been alleged that members of both parties stirred up violence after the election, according to BBC.

The TJRC will also investigate all alleged human rights violations dating back to the country’s independence in 1963. On the commission’s panel will sit six Kenyans and three foreign representatives.

This is a really cool idea. Kenya was in disarray after the election in December and since both political parties have been accused of inciting violence, it should not be ignored.

It’s a sign of heavy corruption.

The inclusion of three foreign representatives on the commission’s panel will ensure safety for the Kenyans investigating; corrupt politicians wouldn’t go after members of an internationally represented panel. It wouldn’t be safe at all.

This will allow for a deeper probe and will help to really uncover some violations that have gone by ignored.

Hopefully something good will come of this commission soon.

About The Author

Sachin Seth is the Blast Magazine world news reporter. He writes the Terra blog. You can visit his website at http://sachinseth.com or follow him on twitter @sachinseth

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