Raila maintains Uhuru, Ruto must prove their innocence at The Hague

By ROBERT NYASATO

Prime Minister Raila Odinga has maintained that four Kenyans facing crimes against humanity charges must defend themselves at The Hague.

Raila asked Deputy Prime Minister Uhuru Kenyatta and Eldoret North MP William Ruto to stop misleading Kenyans through prayer meetings.

"What are these prayer meetings everyday meant for...if they want to pray let them do so with their families," he said, adding that Kenyans were interested in fostering peace after the post-election chaos.

The PM said the ICC suspects can’t plead their innocence since the process that resulted in them being charged in court was a lengthy and protracted one that started with the Waki Commission before the names were handed over to ICC Prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo.

He said he languished in jail at Kamiti Maximum Prison for six months on unfounded charges of treason, but he successfully defended himself and he was cleared.

"So go and defend yourselves against the charges facing you at the ICC instead of wasting time here saying your are innocent," he said.

Reconciliation

The PM spoke at Gusii Stadium in Kisii County, on Saturday, during the end of centenary celebrations to mark 100 years of Catholic evangalisation in the area.

Head of Catholic Church John Cardinal Njue led the Mass. He said reconciliation that took place in South Africa was only possible in Kenya if the truth about the chaos was known and people took responsibility.

He directed Special Programmes PS to next week start visiting IDPs in Kisii and give them their compensation funds as they were left out when the rest benefited.

Public Works Minister Chris Obure admitted that reconciliation and Constitution implementation were huge challenges to the Government and urged the church to play a leading role in steering these processes. On his part, Kalonzo said there was a difference between policy and democracy, saying differences among leaders should not be misconstrued.