Muthaura distances self over taped conversation on post-election chaos

By Peter Opiyo and Ally Jamah

Head of Civil Service, Francis Muthaura, is facing a new storm after a tape was released in which he is allegedly admitting supporting the Mungiki during post-election violence.

Muthaura, who is in the International Criminal Court Prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo list of six suspected masterminds of post-election violence, was allegedly taped by two men who visited him in his office early last month.

They claimed to be university students who could help mount a public campaign in his favour against the Intenational Criminal Court, shortly after Chief Prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo made public the list of suspects.

Gem MP, Jakoyo Midiwo, who released the nine-minute audio recording at Parliament Buildings yesterday called on Muthaura to resign, claiming he had admitted involvement in post-election violence.

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Study the recordings

Consequently, he wants the Police Commissioner, Matthew Iteere, and the National Integration and Cohesion Commission to study the recordings with the intention of sifting out any crime for possible action.

"I will be forwarding the tape to the Police Commissioner for investigation and see if there is a crime. I will also forward the same to National Integration and Cohesion Commission," said Midiwo.

Head of Civil Service, Francis Muthaura, at the Kenyatta International Conference Centre, Nairobi, yesterday. He dismissed a tape released by two men who met him last month over post-election violence, and urged Kenyans to dismiss them as well. [PHOTO: boniface okendo/STANDARD]

"I want to make it very clear that I am not party to these primitive behaviours and I appeal to all Kenyans to dismiss them, " he said.

But he admitted giving the two youth money for lunch and transport since he thought they represented a group of students. He did not reveal the amount.

Support pnu

On the tape, Muthaura is allegedly quoted as saying: "I instructed the police not to stop Mungiki because I had to support the Party of National Unity and my cause. It was ridiculous to ask the Commissioner of Police to stop the Mungiki."

Also: "Nothing happens in this Government, which I don’t know. Why hold the Government officers responsible for what they are supposed to do. What is the police supposed to do when killings are going on? Government has to do something to prevent civil war."

"Police targeted those who were burning houses and petrol stations. Somebody burning a petrol station, is that not a bomb. That is a thug. What option was there for the police?

"If the demonstrators in Kibera or Kisumu were Luos, then obviously, they become the victims, not that they were targets," he allegedly said.

He reportedly said he consulted with the chairman of the National Security Advisory Council before taking the decision.

"If you are an advisor, you cannot take the highest responsibility. The person who advises you to advise the police should take the highest responsibility. I advised the police on what to do."

But Muthaura said he declined the offer from the youth to organise rallies and demonstrations in his support against the ICC.

"I spent a lot of time explaining to the two people the nature of the charges against me, and how I was innocent. I told them such demonstrations would hurt my standing with the ICC," he said, yesterday.

In his press conference, Muthaura also denied planning to disrupt a visit by Prime Minister Raila Odinga to his home in Meru tomorrow (Saturday).

He also distanced himself from T-shirts he displayed that had his photo and name, which were allegedly to be used by youth to disrupt the rally.