If news doing
rounds in the local scene are anything to go by, it is little secret the H.E
the president of the Republic of Kenya, who is a suspect at the International
Criminal Court, will not attend the hearing of his case, a move that is set to
stir a heated debate over the fate of the victims of Post Election Violence.
President Kenyatta,
together with his deputy and Radio journalist Joshua Sang are facing war crimes
and crimes against humanity leveled against them by The Hague based court.
A fortnight ago,
cabinet secretary in charge of foreign affairs insinuated that at no time in
history has any head of state appeared before any court of law to answer to
criminal charges.
“No” to Rome statute
Little wonder that
she confirmed what the Kenyan parliament has been mulling over for quite
sometimes now.
For the record,
parliament has been preparing a motion to pull Kenya out of the gnashing jaws
of the ICC, a motion that “is set to be tabled at the floor of the House soon,”
Majority leader Adan Dualle told the press in Nairobi.
As the government
grapples with the question of how to deal with the trials which have claimed
the audience of the top most echelons of power , thousands of victims, still
languishing in appalling conditions inside tents say any remaining hopes of
ever getting justice now hang on the balance.
Political pundits
have predicted dire consequences for the East African nation if the presidency
makes the move, and a stall in international relations will be among the short
term implications as the outside world supposedly slaps Kenya with economic
sanctions.
However, a survey
conducted by a private media house indicated that most Kenyans were contented
with the presidency skipping the trials, claiming that the country is
sovereign, while a handful thought that this will promote a culture of impunity
in a country reeling from the aftermath of the 2007 post election crisis which
claimed the lives of at least 1000 people.
Permanently disabled
Scores of others
were injured, while dozens remain maimed, permanently disabled and unable to
fend for themselves.
More than 500, 000
were also left landless and consigned to the tents.
The president is
on record promising to honor court summons and to appear before the ICC, and
many have now been left wondering, why the cold feet? Why now?
His deputy is
already at The Hague where he is attending a hearing of his case. His
conformity with the ICC could only fuel speculation that his senior will follow
suit and take his stand, in a move that could have given the victims a
lifeline, as justice could have been done, or be seen to be done.
nothing happened after the 2007
election
In a worst case
scenario where the presidency gives the court a wide berth, PEV victims will be
handed a final and fatal blow as there is nowhere else to turn to, sadly, and
as expected, there is not even a local mechanism to try anyone.
It is like nothing
happened after the 2007 election.
The question
remains, who will fight for the victims?
The move might
been seen as the best by the powers that be, but, what if a repeat of the
violence recurs in the near future?
Who will try who?
Will justice be
meted on the victims and the perpetrators of the violence?
What will happen
to that man or woman who saw his or her children been butchered, just because
they came from the wrong tribe?
Will the woman who
was burnt but survived to tell the story ever get justice?
What about the
orphaned? Their lives were turned into nightmares after their parents were
butchered by bloodthirsty goons, all in the name of politics?
What about the
yelling voices of women and children who were burnt to death inside a church
where they had sought refuge, will their spirits be avenged?
Who performed the atrocities?
What happened to
more than the reportedly 500 people named by the Commissions of inquiries
formed to investigate the violence?
Where will they be
tried, who will try them, what happened, why is there no local court trying
them?
Was the ICC the
only path to justice?
Where are the
human rights activists, the defenders of the poor, the champions of justice?
Kenyans and the
government will wish the above questions away, simply because you were not
affected does not mean you will never be affected. Next time it might be you.
Sadly, it is like
hiding our heads in the sand to avoid seeing a disaster.
I rest my case,
hoping that God will hearken to the cry of the victims, the wretched of the
earth.
GOD BLESS KENYA.
No comments:
Post a Comment