URP MPs want DP William Ruto to become president in 2017 to combat ICC

From left MPs Francis Mwangangi (Yatta)-Muungano party, Patrick Ole Ntutu (Narok West)-URP and James Bett (Keses)-URP at a Diani hotel in Kwale. The three called on Deputy President William Ruto to vie for Presidency in 2017 with Uhuru as his deputy so that the Government can protect him from ICC. PHOTO: TOBIAS CHANJI/STANDARD

MOMBASA: Three United Republican Party (URP) MPs have asked Deputy President DP William Ruto to seek to become president as the safest way to protect himself from the reach of the International Criminal Court ICC.

They claimed that presidents tend to be insulated from the reach of the ICC and added that in the Kenyan context the state tends to act with zeal to protect heads of state from international justice.

And so they argued that because President Uhuru Kenyatta's case at the ICC has been terminated Jubilee should front Ruto as president with Uhuru as his deputy at the 2017 polls.

Two URP MPs, Patrick Ole Ntutu (Narok West) and James Bett (Kesses) with Muungano party MP Francis Mwangangi (Yatta-Machakos County) spoke on the sidelines of the National Assembly's committee on national security at Swahili beach in Kwale where they also claimed that The National Alliance TNA part of Jubilee and state officials appear to be unperturbed that Ruto remains in the crosshairs of the ICC even after the international court allowed the court's prosecutor Fatou Bensouda to allow to use evidence of prosecution witnesses that have refused to testify against the DP.

"Let Ruto vie in 2017 with Uhuru as his deputy for the next five years and we will support them," said Ole Ntutu.

Ntutu added that "it should not just be seen that when one side of the coalition is in problem we (government) do everything to protect them but not the other."

Ntutu warned that Jubilee must demonstrate that it cares for Ruto and URP interests equally as it does Uhuru and TNA.

"As URP we will go for [Sunday's] prayers but we have seen that our friends of TNA do not have the same zeal they had when Uhuru was facing the same. I don't want to tell you what we will say there but we want all offices to come forward and make sure we have defeated ICC," he added.

Mwangangi claimed that TNA has left the DP on his own with the government doing little over his ICC trial.

"As leaders we have realized that once you are a president the ICC issues is done with speed and also the government acts quickly. This is why we are advising that he (Ruto) runs for presidency and Uhuru as his deputy so that we can stop ICC for the next five years," lamented Mwangangi.

They argued that right now the government was doing little to shield Ruto and therefore urged their colleagues from TNA to give them time in the next five years.

They further added that they will not accept any recanted evidence to be used and urged the foreign affairs Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohamed to use the same zeal so that they (URP) know that (TNA) are their friends.

"We are not going to accept that recanted evidence can be used," added Bett.