Samburu leaders call for Kenya’s withdrawal from the ICC

Samburu County Governor Moses Lenolkulal has called on Kenyans withdrawal from the International Criminal court (ICC), following the collapse of DP William Ruto and former broadcaster Joshua Sang’s case.

Lenolkulal’s sentiments were echoed by other Samburu County leaders, with Samburu West MP Lati Lelelit taking issue with former ICC’s prosecutor’s statements concerning the accusations against the DP – accusations that the MP labeled fallacious.

The leaders said that the court based the Ruto-Sang case on false testimony; therefore it could not be trusted.

On January 31^st, the African Union backed President Uhuru Kenyatta’s calls to withdraw from the Rome Statue. Kenyatta said that the court had unfairly targeted African nations, adding that Kenyans had been sorely disappointed by the conduct of the hauge-based court.

“When Kenya and the large group of African countries joined the International Criminal Court, it was to seek legal means to complement the other important tools that we have stood up. We sought to combat impunity while being sensitive to the reality our young and fragile democracies. We have been sorely disappointed,” he said,

Speaking at the AU headquarters, he said: “Kenyans, including myself and my Deputy have been subjected to weak cases built with weak investigations and pursued with politicized zeal.”

For this reason, the Head of State presented a roadmap that would lead to a “mass walk out” by African Nations.

Last week the ICC terminated the last Kenyan case at the Hague-based court, citing witness interference and political melding lead to the collapse of the Ruto-Sang case.

“The proceedings are declared a mistrial due to a troubling incidence of witness interference and intolerable political meddling,” said the ICC statement.

According to the chamber, whose majority ruled in favour of the accused, said that the ruling was instigated by the failure of the prosecution to produce enough evidence that could be used to prosecute the accused.

Ruto and Sang were accused of crimes against humanity including murder, deportation or forcible transfer of population and persecution allegedly committed during the 2007-2008 post-election violence.