Raila slams Bashir invitation

By Peter Opiyo

Prime Minister Raila Odinga has criticised the invitation of Sudan President Omar al-Bashir to attend the promulgation of the new Constitution.

Raila said the presence of Bashir, who has been indicted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) over genocide and war crimes, at the ceremony tainted Kenya


Foreign Affairs Minister Moses Wetang

But on Sunday, the PM said:

Speaking at PCEA Church in Kinoo, Nairobi, Raila said despite the AU resolution for its members not to arrest al-Bashir, Kenya is bound by the Rome Statute that established the ICC and must adhere to the Statute.


He said it was wrong to purport to adhere to AU resolutions yet governments have in the past gone against the body

He cited former Ugandan dictator Idi Amin who committed atrocities in his country against the then Organisation of African Unity (now AU) charter and still chaired the organisation.

Former Kabete MP Paul Muite, who was at the same church service with the PM, said Bashir


But Local Government Assistant Minister and Kikuyu MP Lewis Nguyai differed with the two.

He argued Kenya played a crucial role in signing of the 2005 Sudanese Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) and that it should not be seen to destabilise its neighbour.


The Hague wants Bashir over genocide and crimes against humanity in the Darfur region of Sudan. The UN estimates that 300,000 people died in the genocide.