Press Statement by Truth Be Told Network on
Behalf of Families of victims and survivors of Wagalla Masacre
25 Years of Wagalla Massacre

It is exactly 25 years since the Wagalla Massacre occurred. Wagalla Massacre was a crime of genocidal proportions in which the Kenya security forces killed more than three thousand members of a small Somali clan in Wajir District. Wagalla Massacre was preceded by the Burning of Garissa and the killings in Malka Marri in Garissa and Mandera respectively.

This anniversary is being marked all over the world with processions in front of Kenyan High Commission in Canada, processions in Wajir and media events all over the world. The families of victims and survivors of the Wagalla Massacre are gathering in various localities marking this day.

The victims and survivors of Wagalla Massacre have been seeking justice from the Kenyan authorities for twenty five years now and no one has responded to their cries. There have been public petitions with more than 10,000 signatures presented to the Attorney General on two occasions in 2003 and 2004 and informal requests have been made through various channels which have failed to attract the attention of the Kenyan Authorities to accord justice to the victims. A court case has been instituted by the survivors of Wagalla Massacre in 2004 and which has only been heard three times in seven years despite the modest nature of the prayers sought from the court.

The families of victims and survivors of Wagalla Massacre once again appeal to the Kenya government to appoint a judicial commission of inquiry to carry out an inquest into events surrounding the Wagalla Massacre, unearth the truth and provide reparations to the people affected. The families of victims and survivors of Wagalla Massacre believe that despite the fresh appeals at this point, all legal and political avenues for settlement have now been effectively exhausted to resolve the Wagalla Massacre in Kenya. We have therefore instructed our lawyers to file the case at the African Commission on Human and People’s rights (ACHPR). We believe the ACHPR will provide a better forum for the victims of Wagalla Massacre to present their case and get a chance to be heard. Other avenues are also being discussed at this point and will be communicated once a decision is reached.

The families of survivors and victims of Wagalla Massacre believe that the Truth Justice and Reconciliation Commission (TJRC) lacks both credibility and capacity to take on the Wagalla Massacre. The TJRC as constituted and chaired by Ambassador Bethuel Kiplagat suffers from lack of credibility because there is conclusive evidence that the chair attended a security meeting at Wajir District Commissioner’s Office on 8th February 1984 along with highly placed civil servants and military commanders. This was a day before the military operation that led to the death of more than 3000 people began. The TJRC also suffers capacity problem because they will not have the mandate to handle issues of genocide which Wagalla Massacre and other killings in Northern Kenya falls under. We therefore call upon the TJRC to disqualify itself from dealing with issues of genocide in Northern Kenya in the last 46 years.

Signed:
Salah Abdi Sheikh
Truth Be Told Network (TBT)
On behalf of the Families of victims and survivors of Wagalla Massacre

Copied to:
Hon. Mohamed Ibrahim Elmi MP
Hon. Gitobu Imanyara MP