Ruto terms Ocampo charges falsehoods

By ALLY JAMAH

Eldoret North MP William Ruto broke his silence and termed the charges unveiled by International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo against him as "falsehoods of monumental proportions".

Speaking yesterday for the first time since Ocampo filed his Document Containing Charges (DCC) on Monday, Ruto said the prosecutor’s evidence was only possible in a film or book of fiction.

"What Ocampo has collected and written is to the best of my knowledge falsehoods. What we are witnessing is a tragedy in terms of justice," he said. Ruto was speaking at Sir Ali Muslim Club in Nairobi after donating foodstuff worth Sh200,000 to families of Kenyans who were arrested and taken to Uganda last year after a bomb attack in Kampala.

Ruto and the other ICC suspects will have confirmation of hearing at The Hague on September 1.

Ruto accused Ocampo of ‘cooking’ up evidence and presenting the same to the international community as things that happened.

"We are ready to face Ocampo in court. I am confident that there is no mechanism to convert falsehood and lies into truth," he said.

Gender Minister Naomi Shaban, MPs Amina Abdalla, Sophia Abdi, Shakila Abdallah, among others, accompanied Ruto.

"Families of the suspects have been suffering for close to one year without the people who used to earn a living for them," Ruto said.