CORD, Jubilee leaders strategise ahead of House session on ICC

CORD leaders address a press conference. Coalition principals Raila Odinga, Kalonzo Musyoka and Moses Wetangula will lead a strategy meeting on Thursday.  [PHOTO: FILE/STANDARD]

By GEOFFREY MOSOKU

KENYA: A showdown looms between legislators of Jubilee and CORD alliances during a special sitting of Parliament tomorrow to discuss cases at the International Criminal Court ( ICC).

CORD has convened a joint parliamentary group meeting of MPs and senators tomorrow morning, ahead of the afternoon motion sponsored by Jubilee to pull Kenya out of the Rome Statute.

Both parties have promised a robust debate as Jubileepushes for Kenya’s withdrawal from the ICC.

“Hon MP/Senator; CORD leader Raila Odinga invites you to a joint parliamentary group meeting to be held at Orange House on September 5, at 9am. Your presence will be highly appreciated,” an SMS sent to CORD legislators by ODM Executive Director Magerer Langat read.

Leader of Majority in the National Assembly Aden Duale made the request and Deputy Speaker Joyce Laboso communicated the decision in a gazette notice yesterday.

Magerer confirmed that the meeting was as a result of the move to recall Parliament.

“These guys have recalled Parliament. We want to meet and strategise on the agenda for the special sitting. The joint meeting of all CORD parties will take a stand on the matter,” he said.

In the run-up to the last General Election, Jubileeleaders campaigned on an anti- ICC platform and accused CORD and Raila in particular of being behind the predicament facing Uhuru and Ruto.

“We want to tell the country who the real owners of ICC are. We will table documentary evidence of who has been receiving money from ICC,” Duale said while defending the move to recall the House.

Latest onslaught

Jubilee also claims that the ICC is a political court, with Baringo North MP William Cheptumo terming the cases an affront to the sovereignty of the people of Kenya.

“The ICC is matter of great national importance as it goes to the very root to challenge the sovereignty of the people. Parliament is the only organ where the sovereign will of the people is vested. When Kenyans want to express their views on such matters, this can be done through the representatives in the national assembly,” Cheptumo said.

However, CORD has warned that the latest onslaught by Jubilee on ICC was too little to alter, and will only complicate, the ongoing cases against Uhuru and Ruto.

“This is an exercise in futility and I am sure Jubilee is engaging in politics of diverting the attention of Kenyans from the real issues. Even if Parliament amends the law, the case won’t stop and I want to remind the likes of Duale that Sudan, Liberia and Congo are not signatories but their cases are on-going at The Hague,” Suna East MP Junet Mohamed said.