File | Nation Roads minister Franklin Bett, one of Prime Minister Raila Odinga’s allies in Rift Valley, addresses a crowd in Eldoret last month. Mr Bett has asked Mr Odinga to do more to show his commitment to the people of Rift Valley.
By JULIUS SIGEI juliussigei@gmail.com
Posted Saturday, April 2 2011 at 22:00
Posted Saturday, April 2 2011 at 22:00
In Summary
- Analysts say the PM’s push for The Hague trials seems to fuel the belief he gave evidence against Ruto, Kosgey, which may turn region against him
Prime Minister Raila Odinga’s firm stand on the trial of post-election violence suspects at The Hague has made things more complicated for him and his allies in the Rift Valley.
While he has all along differed with Eldoret North MP William Ruto since the matter cropped up nearly three years ago, pundits now say the PM’s insistence that the Ocampo Six be tried at The Hague, even after his party ODM was reported to have backed down to embrace a credible local tribunal, might deplete the little support he had retained in the populous but restless region.
The claims
According to Moi University lecturer Prof Peter Simatei, “initially, most of Raila’s supporters in the Rift Valley did not take seriously the claims by MPs opposed to the PM that he engineered the ICC charges against the Ocampo Six.
But, of late, the PM has been unequivocal that the six must be tried at The Hague, and this is not going down well.”
He said that in references to the Ocampo Six, Mr Odinga’s discourse has changed dramatically from calling them “suspects” to “perpetrators”.
“He seems to relish in the prospects of them getting stuck at The Hague beyond 2012 and seems not to be interested any more in damage control. This is certainly impacting negatively on his fortunes in the region,” he said.
Prof Simatei added that the recent gesture of legal aid to the three members of the party facing prosecution at The Hague offered by a section of the party’s members, among them Roads minister Franklin Bett and nominated MP Musa Sirma, signals that there is some unease in the PM’s camp over his unequivocal position.
“The PM’s hardline stance, while it might be selling to other audiences, simply lends credence to the many false claims his detractors have been peddling,” he said.
But lawyer Kipchumba Murkomen says Mr Odinga’s stand had enhanced his image in the region as a principled leader who can stand by difficult positions.
“His latest stand will not change things. His genuine supporters see that when he pushes for the ICC, he is not doing it because he has something against the party three. He is looking at the bigger picture in which a big number of the over 1,300 people who died during the post-election violence were felled by police bullets,” said Mr Murkomen.
He said the ICC was a better judicial mechanism than local courts.
“If the six were to be tried locally, they would have to be arrested first, and the cases could take a long time. But, with The Hague, if they are innocent, they have only four months before they can come back and get on with their lives,” he said.
Energy assistant minister Magerer Lang’at, one of Mr Odinga’s supporters, denied there was any division within the ODM party, adding the ICC proceedings will vindicate the PM against claims he gave evidence against his party members.
“When they reach The Hague next week, they will be shocked by the evidence that will be used against them. The PNU side, whose prominent members include Uhuru Kenyatta, gave reports to the Waki Commission that were used to fix our party members,” Mr Lang’at claimed.
He added that his party had discussed the issue of initiating the process to form a credible local tribunal and of appointing lawyers to hold brief for party members.
“What that means is that our members who are going to The Hague are free to consult them,” he said, adding that the PM had all along supported a local mechanism, but efforts to constitute one were frustrated by Mr Ruto’s allies with their “Don’t be vague, let’s go to The Hague” rallying call.
Budalang’i MP Ababu Namwamba agreed that the seemingly opposing camps in ODM were essentially on the same page but expressing themselves differently.
“Prof (Anyang’) Nyong’o is saying the same thing as we are saying. We talked about lawyers to hold brief for the party and not legal assistance even though, in my own opinion, we should show compassion by making some money available to whomever of our members might need it,” he said.
But, even as the MPs put up a brave front, some of the PM’s supporters in the Rift Valley have been sending mixed signals that have been interpreted by analysts as preparing the ground to jump ship or chart their own course.
Two weeks ago at a fundraiser for Tengecha school in his constituency, Mr Bett told the PM that the Mau issue, another thorn in Mr Odinga’s flesh, was hurting them (Raila loyalists) politically and demanded the latter come out clearly on the money for resettlement.
Corruption charges
And earlier in the year during the fallout that followed Tinderet MP Henry Kosgey’s arraignment in court over corruption charges and his naming as one of the ICC suspects, Mr Bett announced he would be a running mate in an unnamed party.
Sources close to the minister say he hoped to ride on the gesture by ODM to offer legal assistance to their three members to show that the party was caring and to tone down any hostility against Mr Odinga and MPs who support him.
“Whichever way you look at it, the people who were shot by the police while demonstrating were doing it in the name of the party leader and any crimes that may have been committed in the region were done in the same vein, and it is callous for the party to appear unfeeling,” said a source.
Party’s popularity
Mr Sirma said that the “propaganda war” waged by the Ruto camp had taken its toll on the party’s popularity and added that ODM would roll out a campaign to explain their position to the electorate.
The PM acceded to Mr Henry Kosgey’s request for legal assistance, and he (Mr Odinga) said even the other two will be advanced the same assistance if they requested,” he said.
Mr Ruto has rejected the offer, but Mr Kosgey has yet to say anything about it in public. The Ocampo Six are due to face the ICC’s Pre-Trial Chamber on April 7 and 8.
Cherangany MP Joshua Kutuny, an outspoken ally of Mr Ruto’s, told the Sunday Nation that the predicament facing the Ocampo Three from the community would unite the region’s leaders.
Chepalungu MP Isaac Ruto added: “The PM’s stand has caused irreparable damage among masses who judge issues on the basis of morality.”
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