4. KENYA Dr. Ahmed Yassin: Social, Political and Economic Factors affecting the operations of a Commission Dr. Ahmed Yassin noted the similarities between Kenya and Zimbabwe, particularly due to the fact that both countries experienced disputed elections followed by violence that only stopped when the political contestants agreed to form governments of national unity. They also had to have new constitutions before holding elections. Dr Yassin provided an overview of the Truth, Justice and Reconciliation Commission (TJRC) and the National Commission for Integration and Cohesion (NCIC) that were formed in the aftermath of the disputed December 2007 elections in Kenya. The TJRC focused on the historical injustices dating back to 1963, when Kenya attained independence, to February 2008 when the peace accord was signed. He noted that TJRC was ambitious in trying to handle truth, justice and reconciliation and did know how much truth and justice would emerge. He argued that they certainly had no time to handle reconciliation in addition to the other components. The NCIC has continued after the TJHR, and its mandate is to deal with matters related to reconciliation. A number of projects were initiated by NCIC that focused on inter and intra-ethnic dialogue meetings in order to find solutions to the problems of ethnicity in Kenya. Highlighting the social, economic and political factors that affect the operation of NCIC, Dr Yassin stated that one of the main social issues was religious discrimination. Kenya has two major religions - Islam and Christianity - and a small number of Hindus. In order to embark on national cohesion, discrimination had to be prohibited. In regard to the economic factors, the main concern was to ensure equal distribution of resources as a way of building national cohesion as well as empowering youth through various projects. He emphasised goodwill is important for the success of any commission. The challenge, however, is linking political will and resourcing the commission. Truth Commissions: the Best Practices 15