ALL the 40 MPs who want to travel to The Hague to accompany Deputy Prime Minister Uhuru Kenyatta and Eldoret North MP William Ruto will be granted visas, the embassy of Netherlands said yesterday.The embassy said it will clear Kenyans who want to travel to The Hague for the hearing of the ICC cases for six Kenyans named by the court as bearing the greatest responsibility for the 2007/8 post-elections violence.
Apart from Uhuru and Ruto, Tinderet MP Henry Kosgey, head of public service ambassador Francis Muthaura, post master general Hussein Ali and radio presenter Joshua arap Sang has also been summoned to appear at the ICC over the violence. “In the context of the summonses to appear on April 7 or April 8, issued by Pre Trial Chamber II of the ICC to six Kenyan individuals, a number of Members of the Kenyan Parliament have announced in the media that they plan to travel to The Hague to observe the hearing. As representative of ICC’s host country, the embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is committed to do the utmost to facilitate the travel of Members of Parliament and all others who want to observe the ICC hearings of April 7 and April 8 at The Hague,” read a statement send from the embassy.
Speaking to The Star yesterday, the mission’s first secretary, political and press affairs, Veerman Camilla said those seeking to travel will however be required to apply for the visas on time. “The embassy welcomes timely visa applications, and would like to inform those interested of the possibility to submit applications for visa from Monday to Thursday from 8.30am,” Camila said.
Already assistant minister Ferdinant Waititu has successfully acquired his visa while others including assistant ministers Kareke Mbiuki,Lewis Nguyai,Mwangi Kiunjuri and Charles Keter (Belgut), Chachu Ganya (North Horr) and Ekwe Ethuro (Turkana Central) are said to be planning to apply for the visas.
The embassy said it will not limit the number of those who want to travel to the Netherlands. “The Netherlands embassy has no intention to limit the number of Kenyans visiting the Netherlands in the context of observing the ICC hearings of 7 and 8 April in The Hague,”Camila said.
She told MPs who want to travel to send in their applications as soon as possible saying it takes a minimum of three days to process the documents. A group of MPs allied to Uhuru and Ruto have been meeting to organise how to travel to The Hague.
Naivasha MP John Mututho, who is among the organisers of the trip, announced that all the MPs travelling will have to foot their own bills. But the Star has established that some money was being raised to ferry a few ordinary citizens who can not afford the cost of travel.
On Sunday, Ruto told Citizen TV that he was facing difficulties in securing visas for members of his delegation. “I have started planning. But there are problems here and there regarding visas. I would want to travel with my wife and one of my children who has insisted on traveling with me,” Ruto said. Ruto said he has prepared up to three lawyers to accompany him in the trip.
Ordinary visas for those who want to travel to The Hague will cost only Sh7,200 while an ordinary return air ticket for those traveling economy will cost Sh120,000.
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