ODM accuses former Intelligence boss Michael Gichangi, PNU of fixing Ruto

The Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) now claims that the former Director of the then National Security and Intelligence Service (NSIS) Michael Gichangi procured witnesses and supplied evidence to the International Criminal Court (ICC) implicating Deputy President William Ruto and radioman Joshua Arap Sang.

ODM, while unveiling ten reasons to believe that President Uhuru Kenyatta fixed Ruto, alleged that Gichangi supplied very critical evidence against Ruto to the ICC.

“He testified on 21st July 2008 and gave dossier that named and implicated William Ruto. The ICC Pre-trial Chamber relied a lot on the evidence supplied by Mr Gichangi to confirm the charges against Ruto,” said ODM.

“Later, Michael Gichangi’s name was submitted to the ICC as one of the witnesses for Uhuru Kenyatta’s case. This made it clear who Michael Gichangi was working for all along. On this matter of ICC, Gichangi was working for Uhuru Kenyatta.”

This is the first time Gichangi, who retired from the National Intelligence Service about two years ago, is being linked to the ICC cases that followed the disputed 2007 presidential elections subsequently leading to post poll chaos.

ODM further alleges that upon successfully assisting Uhuru Kenyatta to clinch the presidency in March 2013, Ruto – of the United Republican Party (URP) – in November the same year asked President Kenyatta to let him have evidence held by NIS.

“The evidence was to assist Ruto in his defense. Uhuru refused, even despite the fact that Ruto was now Deputy President and entitled to receive any information he needed from NIS. The information William Ruto needed was in the custody of Michael Gichangi. But they would not allow Ruto to have it,” alleged ODM.

ODM further alleges that the government – under the Party of National Unity (PNU) – MISLED Ruto by pretending to hire a lawyer for him but his case has been moving from bad to worse.

“Karim Khan was sourced for and retained by the government and the PNU/Uhuru faction of suspects. After the charges against Ruto were confirmed, the PNU/Uhuru faction convinced Ruto that Karim Khan was the lawyer that would help him and that he should reject ODM’s offer of George Oraro who had managed to free Henry Kosgey,” claimed ODM.

“Until this day, Karim is paid by Uhuru Kenyatta and his government. And Ruto’s case keeps going from bad to worse.”

ODM has also accused Foreign Affairs Cabinet Secretary Ambassador Amina Mohamed of failing to put up a spirited fight against the controversial Rule 68 that allows the ICC prosecution to use prior recorded testimony, famously referred to as recanted evidence.

“The government was not worried about Rule 68 because all Uhuru’s witnesses had either died or disappeared. Rule 68 was not going to affect Uhuru,” said ODM.

“When questioned about how Kenya handled these amendments, Amina said everything had been done in the spirit of give and take. It is clear someone was being given away and another one was taking their freedom. The question then is, give to whom and take away from whom?”

ODM has also accused the Jubilee Alliance Party (JAP) Vice Chair David Murathe, who was then the head of the UK Centre, of playing a pivotal role in implicating Ruto.

“The head of UK Centre was Mr David Murathe, who is currently the JAP Vice Chairman. The U.K. Centre employed Moses Kuria and funded the procuring and coaching of the witnesses,” said ODM.

“David Murathe is one of Uhuru Kenyatta’s closest confidants. Uhuru cannot, therefore, claim to be ignorant of what David Murathe and Moses Kuria were doing.”

The former United States Secretary of State Jedayi Frazer has also been looped into the controversy with ODM saying that she was instrumental in fighting the ICC during the Kenyatta case but has since gone silent since he (Kenyatta) was set free.

“Ever since Uhuru’s case was dropped, Dr. Jendayi Frazer, no longer fights the ICC and is quite happy with the court continuing with the prosecution of William Ruto,” said ODM.

“On his part, Uhuru Kenyatta has not seen the need to ask Dr. Jendayi Frazer to help William Ruto. In fact, all the international lobbyists who had been retained by the government to help fight the ICC have been stood down ever since Uhuru’s case collapsed.”

The Ruto ‘fixing’ debate has been taking new twists every day since the controversial Gatundu South Member of Parliament Moses Kuria said that together with Narc Kenya leader Martha Karua, they had procured fake witnesses against Ruto.

Kuria also accused former Prime Minister and CORD leader Raila Odinga and Senator Anyang Ny’ong’o of playing part in Ruto’s fixture.