It wasn’t me!’ IEBC official Thomas Ngetich distances self from list of Ruto’s ICC ‘fixers’

By NIKKO TANUI

Deputy President William Ruto’s lead counsel Karim Khan has been asked to provide the full identification details of the group of individuals who he claimed at the International Criminal Court collaborated with former US envoy Michael Ranneberger to “fix” Ruto.

An Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) official from Kericho County who also shares the same name as Thomas Ngetich, one of the   individuals who Khan claimed worked through USAID to procure witnesses to testify against Ruto at The Hague, said the news had led him to suffer mental anguish.

Thomas Kipkemoi Ngetich, a Marakwet West constituency (IEBC) elections coordinator, said Khan’s disclosure during the cross-examination of witness 356, had also led him to be viewed with suspicion, with many people wondering whether he was the one being referred to.

“I am asking Khan to come out and give the full identification details of the Thomas Ngetich he is talking about and end this speculation once and for all,” Ngetich said.

Speaking to the press in Kericho town, the 45-year-old pointed out that at the time the  procurement of the witness is alleged to have taken place, he was working at the at the Ainamoi Constituency Development office.

“I would like to state categorically that I have not participated in any matter touching on the ICC cases, leave alone procuring any witness to testify against the Deputy President or his co-accused at The Hague-based court. I have confined myself to my work first at the CDF office and currently at the IEBC,” Ngetich said.

He added that since the claims were made before the court, he had received numerous death threats from unknown people who call his phone with the caller ID hidden.

Ngetich claimed all the people and organisations that Khan claimed worked to procure witnesses to testify against the Deputy President were “strangers” to him.

Other individuals involved in running the witness protection programme, according to Khan, included Ken Wafula, Abubakar Juma, Jonah Ruto, George Bett and other three individuals only identified as persons numbers 12,13 and 15.

Khan further told the court that the key contact for USAID in driving the said programme was an NGO known as Chemonics.

 Ngetich, appealed to the International Criminal Court (ICC) to demand full details of the persons mentioned before the judges in order to avoid the court being used to unwittingly torment and hurt people who may be innocent.