Wamalwa defends himself over ICC

Written By:Halligan Agade,    Posted: Tue, Apr 03, 2012

Critics say Wamalwa should not accompany ICC suspects Uhuru Kenyatta and William Ruto during campaigns. Justice Minister Eugene Wamalwa says he will not be handling issues related to the international criminal Court (ICC) process. Wamalwa who is still settling in office following last week's appointment says the ICC process is not within the ministry's mandate. He claims the process has been politicized and says his office will instead focus on national healing and cohesion as opposed to ICC issues.  This is an apparent departure from his predecessor's style Mutula Kilonzo who was very vocal on ICC matters demanding the resignation of Uhuru Kenyatta and Francis Muthaura pending trial, a situation many perceived led to his transfer to the education docket. Last week's appointment of Eugene Wamalwa to the justice ministry saw analysts link it to a move by the government to avert the impending trials at The Hague facing 4 Kenyans including Deputy Prime Minister Uhuru Kenyatta and William Ruto. Mutula was vocal on ICC issues and his stand on the issue often contradicted the government position, but his successor says he will not preoccupy himself with those matters but instead focus on healing and uniting the nation. On Tuesday Wamalwa said his ministry has no direct link to the ICC process and operates under a different mandate. These remarks are bound to raise controversy going by the trend set by his predecessors Martha Karua and Mutula Kilonzo who have both served in the Ministry of Justice and National Cohesion and whose tenure saw them address issues of justice. The new Justice Minister is a member of the G7 alliance and many were keen to watch how he will address cases facing his political friends since his appointment was perceived as engineered by a key member of the G7 who is influential in government.