How Uhuru Kenyatta, William Ruto used ICC charges as weapon for their campaigns

President Uhuru Kenyatta and his deputy William Ruto signed a deal to contest the presidency as a coalition, which secured their victory in the General Election.

By GEOFFREY MOSOKU

KENYA: The indictment of President Uhuru Kenyatta and his deputy William Ruto by the ICC sprung up the consequence of having the two accused elected to the presidency on a joint ticket.

Observers say the two used the ICC tribulation to hammer away a message of reclaiming the country’s sovereignty that pressed the advantage for the Jubilee coalition in the March 4 presidential vote.

The ICC cases brought together Uhuru and Ruto who were in rival political camps during the disputed 2007 presidential vote that sparked violence and the subsequent ICC intervention.

Uhuru was in former President Kibaki’s PNU team and Ruto in former Premier Raila Odinga’s ODM – and the fierce contest between the two led to their being named in December 2010 by then ICC Prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo among six individuals alleged to bear the greatest responsibility for the post-election violence.

Fight off enemy

The pair, who served as ministers in the Grand Coalition Cabinet, portrayed themselves as victims of political scheming by opponents trying to take them out of the race for State House. They accused Raila, Uhuru’s main challenger in the March 4 presidential vote, and the West of trying to influence the Kibaki succession.

Indeed on arrival back from The Hague, the pro-UhuRuto group organised a major prayer rally at Uhuru Park where a political formation, G7, was born. They also held several events dubbed prayer rallies.

Eventually, Uhuru and Ruto signed a deal to contest the presidency as a coalition, which secured their victory in the General Election.

As elections were nearing, the Western countries were concerned of a possibility of persons charged with heinous crimes rising to power; a fear which was exhibited when in a coded language, President Barack Obama’s government issued a clarification warning Kenyans that ‘choices have consequences’.

This was reinforced by an earlier warning from the UK High Commissioner in Nairobi Christian Turner who said that Britain would avoid all but essential contact with indictees.

This added another weapon to the Jubilee team that convinced their supporters that they must fight off the enemy (Western countries) who were blackmailing them.

Following the election, there have been fears that the Western nations would shun Nairobi, with the UK, Kenya’s colonial master, leading the way.

The talk of isolation led to a heated debate on Kenya in the House of Lords, where lawmakers pressed their government to forge closer ties with Nairobi despite the ICC dilemma.

Uhuru and Ruto, together with former Head of Civil Service Francis Muthaura, former Police Commissioner Major (Rtd) Hussein Ali, former minister Henry Kosgey and journalist Joshua Sang had to travel to The Hague to start the process.

During the confirmation hearing, Kosgey and Ali were dropped while Muthaura was also let off the hook much later.

The events that followed the first appearance at The Hague probably may have changed the course of history as Uhuru and Ruto, who were erstwhile rivals worked together.

Meanwhile in Kenya, Jubilee leaders have been bashing the West saying they are better off dealing with the east and African nations.

President Uhuru and Leader of Majority Aden Duale have been the most vocal in dismissing the West as it becomes clear that the Western nations are dealing with Kenya cautiously.

Leader of Minority Francis Nyenze said its wishful thinking for the Jubilee administration to tell off the West claiming that even the economic difficulties that we are experiencing in the country leading to the high cost of living are due to the Western countries withdrawing aid and donor support.

“The Western world controls 70 per cent of the global economy. Can you ignore them?” posed Nyenze.

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