Muite faults anti-ICC signatures campaign

Monday, 07 March 2011 00:01 BY NZAU MUSAU

OPPOSED: Paul Muite

FORMER Kabete MP Paul Muite has condemned the use of chiefs to collect signatures in opposition to the International Criminal Court. Muite said apart from using chiefs, the government is paying Sh200 to those who sign the forms in support of the plan to try the post-election violence suspects locally.

Public Health minister Beth Mugo became the first high ranking government official to admit that the government is compiling signatures. “I have no problem with them collecting signatures but why use our taxpayer’s money on the matter? This must be condemned in the strongest words possible,” Muite told the Star on phone.

Muite said the campaign is exposing the President to a possible prosecution at the Hague over the same crimes the Ocampo Six are facing because it its being sold out as a government project.

Yesterday, Change Associates Trust, the organisation that has been collecting one million signatures in support of ICC process, expressed concerns at the “complete lack of transparency and openness” on the government’s initiative to counter their campaign.

Through Ngunjiri Wambugu, the organization said it had come across members of provincial administration admitting to the campaign but wondered why the national leadership had refused to own to sponsoring the campaign. “We demand to know the official position of the two principals in-charge of the Coalition Government on whether the ‘NO to ICC’ campaign and the collection of signatures against the ICC Cases is a government campaign,” Ngunjiri said.