KENYA IS TO BLAME FOR THE CURRENT WOES FACING THE INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT

The Kenyan government should bear the absolute blame for the current woes facing the International Criminal Court because it initiated the now intensified clamor from the international community to desert the Hague based institution. Following the 2007 post-election violence, the Kenyan government led by then vice president Kalonzo Musyoka spearheaded a government sponsored shuttle diplomacy that was meant to formulate an all-African court to address the continent’s issues.

This diplomatic movement was ill informed as it sought to protect key suspects involved in Kenya’s worst post-election violence since independence. It sorely aimed to ensure African leaders escaped justice on the African soil before landing at the Netherlands. The Kenyan administration as well as other African countries knew that the formation of an independent African court was a far-fetched dream as it would require massive transparency, collaboration, finances and political good-will, something that most African countries would never guarantee.