The Kenyan TJRC

Reviews / Votes

'The Kenyan TJRC provides the fascinating, definitive history of the Kenyan Truth, Justice and Reconciliation Commission that Kenya's own government sought to suppress. Unlike any other text, Slye offers an equally unforgettable human story about how a courageous outsider fought to keep a process fair, so that even a deeply flawed human rights institution could make a difference.' Harold Hongju Koh, Yale Law School, Former Legal Adviser and Assistant Secretary for Human Rights, US Department of State 'Applying a Band-Aid to gaping national wounds has become a political habit in Kenya, but for true healing to take place, the country needs to go deeper. The story of how the TJRC was born, the hurdles it negotiated in order to do its work, the heart-breaking evidence it heard and its eventual findings must surely be part of that process. It's good to see this finally published.' Michela Wrong, author of It's Our Turn to Eat: The Story of a Kenyan Whistleblower 'Ronald C. Slye tells us the unvarnished truth about the complex and sometimes tortuous story of the Kenyan TJRC. Perhaps even more importantly he draws crucial lessons for negotiators and activists alike. A must read for all those working in the fields of transitional justice and peacebuilding!' David Tolbert, President of the International Center for Transitional Justice 'This fascinating book delves into the fissures that emerged among the commissioners, why the international members of the commission issued a dissent from some of the body's findings, and the broader implications of the commission's work for Kenya and other postconflict societies. Slye's book makes for compelling reading, whether he is discussing the personal foibles of the commissioners, the backroom negotiations and compromises that mark such work, the legal issues involved, or the broader context of Kenyan politics.' Nicolas van de Walle, Foreign Affairs