Uhuru, Ruto should remain calm despite The Hague ruling

By Billow Kerrow

Kenyans wait with bated breath for The Hague ruling on the confirmation hearings tomorrow; for some with awe and anxiety, but for most with indifference. It is a defining moment for the nation though.

Kenya may forever bear the tag of a pariah nation, like Sudan, Serbia or Liberia; or the Government will be vindicated on its oft-repeated assertions that there were no international crimes committed.

Kenya has been an island of peace since independence. To our credit, we have had peacekeeping missions in most troubled spots of the world, including countries like Sudan, Serbia and Liberia with cases in The Hague.

The world’s image of Kenya with its great national parks, abundant wildlife, serene beaches and the great runners, as well as its tea, coffee or flowers may evaporate.

I dread the moment when that entire beautiful image will be replaced by the picture of a failed state where its leaders are charged in the international court, splashed daily across the world by the media.

We will be seen as a villain nation, a conflict environment where people kill each other, where leaders slaughter their people. We will lose face in the world. It will be bad for leaders and the country.

It is appreciable that some of the ‘Ocampo Six’ have called for calm, whatever the court’s verdict. In particular, Eldoret North MP William Ruto and Deputy Prime Minister Uhuru Kenyatta’s calls for peace are remarkable. They have not displayed anxiety and have moved about their life routinely, giving their supporters courage and hope.

They are not urging their kinsmen and friends to rally behind them should the verdict go against them, but have vowed to clear their names should the cases go to full hearing, reliving Napoleon’s statement that a leader is a dealer in hope.

They have also stated that they will seek presidency even if the charges are confirmed, on grounds that they are innocent until proven guilty.

Chapter 6 of the Constitution does not bar anyone from running for an elective office; the process of election is deemed to be a referendum through which Kenyans will decide on such matters. The same rationale allows MPs to continue in office even when they have been charged with corruption or criminal offences, unlike appointed public servants who must resign if charged in a court.

However, I have argued in this column before that elected leaders should be subject to the provisions of Public Officers Ethics Act in this regard since they are also State Officers. In the meantime, universal suffrage suffices to clear.

As Abraham Lincoln said, ‘no man is good enough to govern another man without that other man’s consent’.

There is a lot of work that Uhuru and Ruto need to do to bond their communities to diffuse the palpable tension in Rift Valley. The pending presidential contest between the two further undermines the fragile peace.

Despite their assertion of a G7 Alliance, their race appears parallel and it is uncertain whether the two will emerge from the preliminaries without a bruise that will rekindle the underlying love-hate relationship among their folks.

Currently, their opposition to a Raila presidency only unites them, as none is ready to play second fiddle. They can turn The Hague predicament into a political boon if they sacrifice their ambitions and join forces. If not, The Hague will be a double-edged sword that will devour them, one at a time.

ICC has a good record of giving defendants a fair trial and reaching just verdicts based on evidence. Nonetheless, it is imperative that these two leaders remain unnerved and cool whichever way the verdict goes. Let’s have peace, for as they say, anyone can hold the helm when the sea is calm.

The writer is a former MP for Mandera Central and political economist