The notion that the truth will set you free has enduring appeal in developing countries which are newly free of repressive governments, and anxious to explore past abuses in an effort to avoid repeating them. Kenya is no exception to this trend. However, the country is also discovering that setting up a truth commission to probe human rights violations is less straight forward than it might appear. Although a commission has yet to open its doors in Kenya, fierce debate is already underway about the period of time that should be surveyed by the body.