President Kibaki has named his deputy Kalonzo Musyoka and 6 ministers as special envoys to lobby the United Nations Security Council member states to defer The Hague process for a year March 4, 2011. FILE
By BERNARD NAMUNANEPosted Friday, March 4 2011 at 17:46
President Kibaki has named his deputy Kalonzo Musyoka and 6 ministers as special envoys to lobby the United Nations Security Council member states to defer The Hague process for a year.
He said the fact that the country was "set to begin the second phase of lobbying among members of the United Nations Security Council, for the deferment of the Hague process" was the basis of his decision to nominate the seven.
The appointment of special envoys is the clearest indicator of the determination by President Kibaki to spare those who have been named by the International Criminal Court Prosecutor Luis Mkoreno-Ocampo as the key perpetrators of post election violence the ignominy of being carted to The Hague to face the charges.
They are Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka and Cabinet ministers Njeru Githae (Nairobi Metropolitan), Sally Kosgei (Agriculture), Hellen Sambili (East African Community), George Saitoti (Internal Security) and Foreign Affairs assistant minister Richard Onyonka.
"This will allow time for the establishment of a local mechanism to try suspects of the post-election violence," said a statement from his office Friday.
The President’s envoys will target the United States (US), Russia, United Kingdom (UK), China and France who are permanent members of the UN Security Council.
They will also seek the support of non permanent members Nigeria, Gabon, South Africa, Lebanon, Brazil, Colombia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Germany and Portugal.
The naming of the envoys comes a week after the powerful UN body met and failed to discuss the issue of deferment of the Kenyan case.
Instead, they unanimously resolved to impose sanctions on Libya and allowed the ICC to investigate the Maghreb country whose leader Muammar Qaddafi is using force to put off mass protests out to dethrone him from power.
Diplomatic sources explained that Kenya’s case was not discussed because the African Union, which adopted a resolution to support the government’s bid for deferment, had not submitted the proposal.
This marks the second phase of shuttle diplomacy which was led by Mr Musyoka two months ago when he visited south Africa, Nigeria, Malawi and Libya to lobby for their support at the AU meeting which was held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia between January 29 and February 3, 2011.
Ministers Mwakwere and Githae visited Botswana and Djibouti respectively in a bid that has been opposed by Prime Minister Raila Odinga and Justice minister Mutula Kilonzo
In December, Mr Moreno-Ocampo named deputy PM Uhuru Kenyatta, MPs William Ruto and Henry Kosgey, Head of Civil Service Francis Muthaura, former Police Commissioner Hussein Ali and Kass FM radio presenter Joshua Sang as the individuals he believes bear the greatest responsibility for the post election chaos in which 1,133 people were killed. He has since notified the Pre-Trial Chamber of his intention to open two cases against the six.
On Thursday, Mr Musyoka said he will fly to Washington to lobby the US, which has insisted on justice for the victims of the chaos to support Kenya’s bid.
Two weeks ago, US envoy Michael Rannebeger said Washington will veto any resolution that will support deferment of the Kenya case.
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