Ruto defence team rubbishes witness testimony over coded language

BY FELIX OLICK

The defence of Deputy President William Ruto continues with its cross examination of the fourth prosecution witness today at the International Criminal Court (ICC).

It is expected that Ruto’s co-lead Counsel Essa Faal would wind up to pave way for Katwa Kigen, who is leading the defence of radio journalist Joshua arap Sang.

On Friday, Faal began poking holes into the witness testimony challenging claims that his client used derogatory terms to sanction the eviction of Kikuyu’s from the Rift Valley.

The Gambian lawyer insisted that the word madoadoa was used by a section of ODM politicians to rally its supporters to vote ‘three piece’ during the 2007 presidential campaigns.

Faal said some politicians and not Ruto used the word to encourage their supporters to give the Orange party a clean sweep in all the three elective positions.

“Mr witness isn’t it in this context that some politicians encouraged people not to vote madoadoa,” he asked.

But the witness who was an IDP at Eldoret Show Ground disagreed even after the defence played a video of an ODM rally in which former Prime Minister Raila Odinga urged residents to vote three piece and not madoadoa.

On Thursday, the witness only identified as 376 insisted that the deputy president sanctioned the removal of Kikuyu’s from the Rift Valley.

He maintained that Ruto in the company of Rift Valley politician and prominent businessman Jackson Kibor referred to the Kikuyu as madoadoa that had to be removed.

This is the second witness to claim that the deputy president used coded language against the Kikuyu in the lead up to the 2007 polls.

The second prosecution witness alleged that Ruto referred to large land owners in the region as ‘hyenas’ whose time was up if ODM ascended to power.

The cross examination have however, been characterised by shocking revelations as the defence lay everything bare to demolish the prosecution evidence.

Last week, Ruto claimed that top PNU officials and close confidants of retired President Mwai Kibaki fixed him over the 2007 post-election violence that landed him at The Hague.

Ruto’s counsel Shyamala Alagendra linked Interior Principal Secretary Mutea Iringo, Senior Political Adviser to President Uhuru Nancy Gitau and former Justice minister Martha Karua to the scheme to nail Ruto.

On Friday, Faal also claimed the outlawed Mungiki sect is to blame for the brutal killings in some areas around Eldoret town after the bungled 2007 polls.

Faal said the Mungiki beheaded many Luos in Langas area and displayed their heads on sticks.

The prosecution had lined up three witnesses from last week who are expected to testify until November 1, when the trials are expected to adjourn.