Muthaura, Uhuru quit security jobs
Deputy Prime Minister Uhuru Kenyatta (left) and Head of Public Service Francis Muthaura. Photo/FILE
By PETER LEFTIE pmutibo@ke.nationmedia.com
Posted Thursday, March 31 2011 at 22:00
Posted Thursday, March 31 2011 at 22:00
Deputy Prime Minister Uhuru Kenyatta and Public Service head Francis Muthaura have quit sensitive government responsibilities to comply with tough conditions imposed by International Criminal Court prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo.
In separate letters to Internal Security Minister George Saitoti who chairs the Cabinet committee that deals with the ICC, Mr Kenyatta and Mr Muthaura said they were stepping down from their positions in key Cabinet and security committees dealing with matters related to the cases facing them at The Hague.
In his March 23 letter, Mr Kenyatta announced that he was quitting the powerful Cabinet Sub-Committee on Security and Foreign Relations and he would no longer attend its meetings.
“This is in order to ensure that there is no suggestion by external parties of a conflict of interest in relation to my attending any such official meetings for the duration of the period that a conflict may be deemed to exist,” he said.
Five days earlier, Mr Kenyatta had written to Attorney-General Amos Wako informing him that he was resigning from his position as a member of the Witness Protection Advisory Board.
“I am taking this decision to relinquish myself from this post to ensure that there is no suggestion by external parties of a conflict of interest in relation to this appointment, and the work of the board.
“This decision is made cognizant of my current situation before the International Criminal Court, following the summons for me to appear before the Court on 8th April, 2011, and the conditions attached thereto,” Mr Kenyatta said.
Finance assistant minister Oburu Oginga would represent Treasury on the board, he said.
Mr Muthaura wrote to Prof Saitoti on March 28 informing him of his decision to step down as chairman of the National Security Advisory Committee (NSAC).
“I have decided to relinquish my chairmanship and membership of National Security Advisory Committee (NSAC) for avoidance of any doubt on matters of conflict of interest relating to ICC investigations in Kenya.
“I trust this together with my previous letter will satisfy the concerns expressed in the letter of the ICC Prosecutor which you have brought to my attention,” he said.
In an earlier letter dated December 28 last year, Mr Muthaura said:
“Since the announcement by the ICC Prosecutor on 15th December, 2011, that I am a suspect in the investigations on the post-election violence for the avoidance of conflict of interest, I have opted not to participate henceforth in official discussions, meetings and arrangements relating to the ICC cases in Kenya. This also includes discussions in both NSAC, Cabinet or its committees.”
The move by President Kibaki’s key men follows a letter of Mr Ocampo to the government demanding to know whether Mr Muthaura’s position as Head of Public Service gave him privileged access to and influence over the state’s security apparatus in a way that could interfere with witnesses or the collection of evidence.
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