Over 1100 people died during the violence which also
NAKURU, Kenya Sept 21 – Victims of the
2007/8 post election violence in Nakuru are
now urging the International Criminal Court
(ICC) to support them get back to their
normal lives, instead of spending too much
money on witnesses who now recanting their
evidence.
The victims who addressed a press conference
in Nakuru on Sunday said they are worried that
they may not get justice following confessions
made in court by some of the witnesses who
admitted having received huge amounts of
money to give false testimony implicating
Deputy President William Ruto.
Some of the witnesses have previously recanted
evidence earlier given to the ICC against
President Uhuru Kenyatta, saying they were
paid to do so.
Seven years after the deadly violence sparked
by a dispute in the presidential vote, some of
the witnesses say the prosecution is spending
too much on witnesses, instead of supporting
them.
“We are disturbed that the ICC’s prosecutor
has been paying millions of dollars to coached
individuals to provide false testimony against
President Kenyatta and his Deputy and
therefore demand that instead of the
prosecutor dishing out millions of dollars to
pay fake witnesses, the ICC should give us the
money so that we can improve on our lives,”
they said in a joint statement, and demanded
that “the ICC gives us money instead of using
the money to bribe persons so as to give false
testimony.”
Even those whose hopes relied on the ongoing
cases at The Hague-based court, are now
convinced that they may never get justice after
all.
“ We are concerned that for the last 4 years,
the ICC’s prosecutors have made us believe
that they have evidence against President
Kenyatta and thus given us a ray of hope in
getting justice but now we have realized they
have no evidence at all,” they said.
They also took issue with the recent demand
requiring President Kenyatta to be present
during a status conference scheduled for
October 7 and 8.
The order was issued last week after the judges
vacated the October 7 trial date, to enable
parties and participants discuss emerging
issues.
“We now demand that the ICC terminate the
President’s case as they have already confessed
in public that they all their witnesses have
bolted out,” they said.
ICC prosecutor Fatou Bensouda has said the
evidence she has cannot sustain a trial against
President Kenyatta and now wants the
government to offer her assistance in getting
his financial statements. It remains unclear if
the Head of State will attend the status
conference.
Kenya’s Attorney General Githu Muigai has
previously told the ICC judges that the
prosecution has never been clear on what it
requires.
“ As such, we demand that the prosecutor
stops making sensational claims that they can
only begin the trial when the government
cooperates as they have already told the whole
world that all their witnesses, 4, 11 and 12
have withdrawn their testimony as they are not
interested in lying,” they said.
Human Rights lawyer Njenga Mwangi who also
spoke at the press conference held at
a Nakuru hotel said the ICC was not justified
in summoning the President “because they
have other avenues of getting the evidence
they require.”
“It is humiliating for a democratically elected
president of Kenya,” he said.
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