Video footage drags Raila Odinga into The Hague court cases yet again

By Wahome Thuku

The Hague, Netherlands: CORD leader Raila Odinga was once again dragged into the on-going ICC proceedings with Deputy President William Ruto using his video clips in opening statement.

Ruto’s lawyer Karim Khan played a clip of the former Prime Minister calling his ODM supporters into the streets for mass action following the announcement of the 2007 presidential elections.

It was not clear if Ruto used the clip to pass the buck over the post-poll chaos or to show the ODM party and its leaders advocated for peaceful protests. It was the second time that clips of Raila were being played before the ICC.

A similar clip was played during the confirmation of charges hearing in 2011 as the then Deputy Prime Minister Uhuru Kenyatta (now President) sort to pass the buck to whoever had instigated the post-election skirmishes.

Tuesday, the clip of the CORD leader asking supporters to engage in peaceful mass action was played three times, with lawyer Khan asking the judges to consider it in deciding whether Ruto was to blame for the 2008 eventualities.

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Played clips

Khan played several other video clips of media interviews, political rallies and other speeches that Ruto gave before, during and after the PEV.

At one point, the defence used footage which had just been presented in court by the prosecution to make their case. The prosecution played a video clip of Ruto addressing a rally in his Eldoret North constituency before the elections but did not include audio.

Lawyer Khan used the same clip and played sound as well, revealing that Ruto was asking landowners from all communities living in the Rift Valley not to fear that they would be evicted. The session was to paint Ruto before the court as a law abiding, hard working and honorable man, contrary to the warlord that the prosecution was presenting.

Khan described Ruto as a man who has consistently supported investigations by the OTP and other agencies, as well as prosecution of all those involved in planning and executing the post-election chaos.

The defence worked to present any element of Ruto’s closeness to the Kikuyu people, either as political allies or relatives, in a bid to dismantle the prosecution’s argument that he hated the community.