I wish to share my time with Deputy Cowen.
Adjournment Debate. - Killing of Irish Franciscan Brother in Kenya.
Is that agreed? Agreed.
I thank the Ceann Comhairle for allowing me to raise this matter and the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs for being in the House to reply. This matter relates to the killing of Irish Franciscan Brother, Larry Timmons, in Kenya. I extend sympathy to his parents, brothers, sisters and the Franciscan Brother community. I have been aware of the work, particularly in Kenya, of the Franciscan Brothers for many years from their college in Mount Bellew in County Galway. I call on the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and the Government to raise the killing of Brother Timmons with the kenyan authorities. As the Dutch Government holds the Presidency of the EU, it is important that it also raises this issue to add weight to the investigation.
According to the reports I have read, Brother Timmons was killed last Wednesday by a bullet fired by police who intervened in a robbery at the school where he worked in central Kenya. The local Catholic church has linked the killing to allegations Brother Timmons made the day before his death concerning bribery and corruption among local officials.
Over the past five years three Irish religious have been expelled by the Kenyan Government and in each case the expulsion followed corruption allegations or human rights issues. The EU should monitor closely the political situation in Kenya. Observers have reported an increase in human rights abuses in Kenya where elections are due to be held later this year. It has been reported that a Kenyan policeman has been charged with the murder of Brother Timmons and been remanded in custody until 10 February. The religious in the area held a meeting to protest at the murder of Brother Timmons and the threat to their security.
There is also concern for aid workers in the region. The Catholic diocese in Nakura stated that Brother Timmon's killing was planned and was not an accident. This issue should be investigated. I want a response from the Tánaiste on these questions.
I thank Deputy Kitt for the opportunity to join with him in exhorting the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs to do all that is possible to ensure justice is served in regard to this matter. I knew Brother Larry Timmons. He stood up for the people he worked for in Kenya and has paid the ultimate price. I understand the Tánaiste and the Department of Foreign Affairs have been active in seeking a report which has thus far proved unsatisfactory. He will do everything he can, particularly through the Dutch Presidency, to seek full accountability on this matter. All questions have to be answered in full. This may have implications generally for our volunteers and religious who work in Africa.
This matter specifically raises serious questions. I understand the Kenyans regard their relationship with the European Union as being very important. I know the Tánaiste will ask his successor as President of the Council of Foreign Ministers to insist upon a speedy resolution of this matter and to ensure the person who has been charged is not simply made a scapegoat for this organised attack on Brother Timmons. Will he indicate when he expects a detailed account of what has happened? Is there anything further we can do to ensure a country such as Kenya, which claims to have democratic credentials, will ensure the perpetrators of such crimes are brought to justice?
I welcome the opportunity of responding to the matter raised by Deputies Kitt and Cowen. It was also raised with me over the weekend by my colleague, Deputy Pat Gallagher. I take this opportunity to express to the Timmons family and to his Franciscan colleagues the Government's deepest sympathy on the tragic death of Brother Larry Timmons. The people of Ireland have been deeply moved by accounts of the life of Brother Timmons and his generous and principled commitment to the communities which he served, most recently in the diocese of Nakuru in Kenya. Against that background, news of the manner and circumstances of his death last week has been received with a sense of shock and sadness throughout the country. I welcome the opportunity to inform the House of the actions the Government has undertaken to seek to establish the circumstances surrounding the tragedy.
On receipt of news of this incident, I sought urgent clarification through diplomatic channels of the exact circumstances of Brother Timmons' death. Our honorary consul in Nairobi has formally conveyed to the Kenyan Foreign Ministry and to the commissioner of police of Rift Valley province the Irish Government's deep concern about the incident. He has requested that it be fully investigated and that we be fully informed of its findings and recommendations. In the absence of an Embassy of our own in Nairobi, and given that the Netherlands currently holds the Presidency of the European Union, we have also requested the Dutch Foreign Ministry to ask their ambassador in Nairobi to raise the matter with the kenyan authorities. In a year in which national elections are due to take place in Kenya, the European Union is monitoring closely the human rights situation in the country. The circumstances of Brother Timmons' death raise questions in this context which also need to be answered.
On 27 January a policeman was charged with the murder of Brother Timmons and the police commissioner publicly expressed the Kenyan Government's shock and sadness at the manner in which he met his death, promising that there would be a thorough investigation of the incident and that all those implicated would be brought to justice. I welcome the promise by the Kenyan authorities of a thorough investigation. I will continue to monitor its progress closely, taking account of the concerns which have been expressed by Brother Timmons' community and by the local church authorities in Kenya.
The Bishop of Kerry also expressed these views to me at the weekend on his return from a three week visit to Kenya. There have been other violent raids in this area of Kenya in recent weeks and at least one other member of a religious order from Ireland was injured. The reason for this violence is not clear at this stage but we are seeking further details. At present I am not aware of evidence that it is being deliberately directed against Irish religious or aid workers as such.
The tragic death of Brother Larry Timmons has heightened public awareness in this country of the dangers facing Irish missionary and humanitarian workers in the field, while at the same time reminding us of the enormous contribution they continue to make in Africa and elsewhere in the world. It is the Government's earnest hope — and I am sure it is a hope shared by this House — that in the aftermath of this tragic event the Kenyan authorities will better safeguard the security of those of our people who continue to uphold our country's renowned tradition of providing humanitarian assistance to those in need.