IEBC nominee Hassan Noor defends role in 2007 violence

IEBC Commissioner nominee Hassan Noor Hassan has defended his record as a public officer during the 2007 post-election violence and dismissed past corruption allegations, saying he was acquitted of all charges.

Appearing before the National Assembly Justice and Legal Affairs Committee, Hassan addressed concerns over his past conduct, including his role at the National Youth Service (NYS) and as Provincial Commissioner in Rift Valley during a period of intense political violence.

"NYS investigations were done, people were taken to court, being one of them, but we were acquitted for lack of evidence. I was not convicted, I was acquitted of the charges in 2018," he said.

Hassan described himself as a young and junior officer during the disputed 1988 elections.

"I was a very young officer. I was barely two years old in service. I was inconsequential as far as the 1988 election is concerned," he told the MPs.

Hassan said that by the time he served as Provincial Commissioner for Rift Valley in 2007, the region was already facing conflict.

"When I arrived there, there has been a lot of conflict within the region, in Molo, in Turkana, in Samburu, in Trans Nzoia. We managed to bring the conflict down before the elections," he said.

The nominee told the committee that his efforts during the crisis were recognised.

"I was awarded the best public officer of the year in 2007. I got the Kenya National Human Rights Commission award as the best public servant of the year in the way we managed conflict in the province at that time," Hassan stated.

Hassan said the violence was politically driven.

"Before violence erupts, political violence erupts, there are warnings. There are many things that happen. There have been incitement, there are inflammatory statements by leaders," he noted.

He credited his team for reducing the impact of the violence.

"Our effort is well said in the reports that were released and in the statement that was made by the late Kofi Annan in Serena," Hassan stated.

"If there is one committee that has served this country at the height of the post-election violence, and will require to be recognized, it is the committee led by the Provincial Commissioner of Rift Valley."

"I want to say here that I was a solution. I provided a solution required to make sure that we minimized the loss of lives and property during the post-election violence," Hassan noted..

He said he later launched a campaign to help those displaced return home.

"I coined operation Rudi Nyumbani. That was my slogan, and returned people back to their farms. Within 90 days, we were able to return over 70 percent of the population back to their farms in a situation where conflict was really at its highest," Hassan said.