Court insists Uhuru, Ruto cases to go on despite win

By Martin Mutua

Nairobi, Kenya: International Criminal Court has declared that the case against President Uhuru Kenyatta and Deputy President William Ruto will continue the judges ordered.

The Court spokesman Abdallah Fadi said the outcome of the Kenyan elections would not alter the proceedings of the court.

He said as a signatory to the Rome Statute, Kenya has an obligation to cooperate with the ICC.

“This includes the provision that official capacities, including the capacity as a Head of State, are irrelevant for the ICC and do not offer any immunity. Thus, the ICC proceedings must continue as ordered by the ICC judges, irrespective of the Kenyan elections results,” he added.

Fadi was responding to criticism directed at the court by Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni during Tuesday’s inauguration of Uhuru and Ruto as President and Deputy President at the Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani.

During the swearing-in ceremony, Museveni accused ICC of blackmail, arrogance and ignorance.

“I want to salute the Kenyan voters on the rejection of the blackmail by the International Criminal Court and those who seek to abuse the institution for their own agenda. The Kenyan voters upheld the sovereignty of their country,” he said.

Influencing

By that he seemed to suggest that by electing Uhuru and Ruto, who are both facing criminal charges at the ICC, the Kenyan voters passed a vote of no-confidence on the ICC process. On Wednesday, Fadi said there was no relationship between the political developments in the country and the ICC judicial decisions.

He denied allegations that the court was influencing the election of African leaders.

Fadi said the ICC was purely a judicial institution, adding that there are no political considerations when the judges representing the different regions of the world issue their decisions.

“Only the legal rules and the evidence presented to the judges are taken into consideration in Judges’ decisions,” he added.