Kenya not quitting Rome Statute

By Lucianne Limo

The Government has not discussed the possibility of Kenya pulling out of the Rome Statute.

Internal Security Minister George Saitoti said the Executive had not made any decision regarding Kenya opposing sending suspects to the International Criminal Court (ICC).

"Reports indicating the Government has been sending emissaries to various African countries asking them that we want to pull out of ICC and that they should follow suit is far fetched and not true," said Prof Saitoti.

The minister said Parliament, and not the Executive, had resolved that Kenya should move away from the Rome Statute.

Parliament is an independent body and it has a right to deliberate on any matter it considers important and the Executive cannot dictate anything to them, Saitoti explained.

He was speaking after holding talks with Danish Foreign Affairs Minister, Lene Espersen, at the Foreign Affairs ministry headquarters.

Saitoti is the acting Foreign Affairs Minister.

Attach importance

Lene said Denmark fully supports the ICC process, and said it was important for Kenya to attach importance to the international court and remain committed to the Rome Statute.

"The decision you take will reflect on how the rest of the world looks upon Kenya," she said.

Saitoti said Vice-President Kalonzo Musyoka has been moving to African states to inform them that with the new Constitution, Kenya was able to put up a local mechanism to deal with the post-election chaos.

"The Constitution allows Kenya to make structural changes like in the Judiciary and Police Force that we were unable to do before the promulgation of a new Constitution, he said.