Ruto turns down ODM offer to hire lawyers for suspects

JARED NYATAYA | NATION Eldoret North MP William Ruto (right) and Mr Sammy Kolum, the chairman of the Board of Governors for Sokyot Secondary School in Turbo, on March 25, 2011. The suspended minister rejected an offer by his party to hire lawyers for chaos suspects.

By OUMA WANZALA owanzala@ke.nationmedia.com
Posted  Friday, March 25 2011 at 22:00

In Summary

• Suspended minister sceptical of sudden change of heart by his party over ICC trials and accuses the leadership of causing confusion on the matter

Suspended Higher Education Minister William Ruto has said he will not accept lawyers hired by ODM party to represent him at The Hague.

The Eldoret North MP said ODM should first withdraw a letter to the UN Security Council that was against deferral of post-election violence cases.

Mr Ruto, who was speaking at Sokyot Secondary School in Turbo, Eldoret West District on Friday added that the party was not sincere it its claim that it was hiring lawyers for him, Tinderet MP Henry Kosgey and radio journalist Joshua Sang.

“The party wrote a letter to the UN that it had no faith in the local judicial system and that we be hanged, now it is turning around to say that it will hire lawyers for us,” Mr Ruto said.

He claimed that the lawyers the party was to hire could be used to contribute to their ‘hanging’ at the International Criminal Court.

“I do not understand what ODM is talking about as it is full of confusion. The party must put its act together and tell Kenyans when it will write a letter to UN Security Council to withdraw an earlier one,” he said.

He claimed ODM had no policy that was being followed, adding that no forum had been called by party leadership to discuss the hiring of lawyers for the three suspects.

“It is two people who decided to write the letter to the UN and now they are talking about hiring lawyers. We are not party to that,” Mr Ruto added.

He said a section of party officials had consistently insisted that they (suspects) were involved in post- election violence.

“What is it up their sleeves? They had opposed a local tribunal, why the sudden change of heart? We cannot trust them because of their past stand,” Mr Ruto added.

He further claimed there was no democracy in the party as members were worshipping an individual.

The MP denied that he distributed arms to residents of Rift valley to kill people from different communities in the region.

“I was at KICC and later Serena  where I spent sleepless nights and wonder how I was involved in the post-election violence,” the MP said.

The suspended minister said Prime Minister Raila Odinga should not compare his detention during the Moi era to the ICC cases and asked Kenyans to focus on the development agenda of the nation  and ignore those out to ensure others are  eliminated from the presidential race.

“We are determined with whatever we have started and we will  join hands and walk together,” he added.