By Standard Team

International Criminal Court Chief Prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo arrived in the morning as the country pondered how President Kibaki and Prime Minister Raila Odinga would receive him.

When he was through with the day’s agenda, it was clear he bore the same international clout that opened doors for Chief Mediator Kofi Annan when he was in Kenya at her lowest moment.

Sources revealed Justice Minister Mutula Kilonzo hosted the ICC and government team for a lunch at Windsor Golf and Country Club where Ocampo is staying.

Those at the Luncheon included Kibaki and Raila, as well as Cabinet ministers James Orengo, Moses Wetangula, George Saitoti and the PM’s adviser on the coalition affairs Miguna Miguna.

Moreno-Ocampo will move into action in December upon securing authority from the judges of the pre-trial chambers on his own motion.

His men will begin taking witness statements, issue summons, arrest warrants and gather more evidence as they summon the high and mighty suspected of fanning Kenya’s worst violence since independence, which saw 1,500 Kenyans killed.

ICC’s action was prompted after Government chose to play hardball and declined to refer the trial of perpetrators of violence to the ICC but committed to cooperating fully.

But no clear-cut mechanism of creating a local mechanism was reached. The principals did not mention whether they would persue a privately sponsored Bill crafted by Imenti Central MP Gitobu Imanyara, which is before the House.

"We will cooperate with the International Criminal Court to ensure that those who bear the responsibility for crimes committed during the post-election conflict are brought to justice," the leaders said.

Ocampo said he was impressed by the Government’s efforts to prevent a recurrence of post-election violence.

He said that during his meeting with the President and Prime Minister he discussed and explained how he intended to execute his mandate in relation to the perpetrators of post-election violence. The ICC Prosecutor said he intends to request the ICC judges to open investigations on the Kenyan situation this December.

Moreno-Ocampo pointed out that ICC seeks to help Kenya deal with those who bear responsibility for the post election violence.

Orengo in a separate interview said Moreno-Ocampo was in town because Kenya lacked a credible legal mechanism to try the perpetrators.

It was not immediately clear if by committing to cooperate with the ICC would mean the Government would arrest and hand over suspects who include its top officers.