Ocampo 4 cases should come to Kenya – Ida

Posted by WAMBUI NDONGA on January 27, 2012

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Ida says she shares the pain of the families of the Ocampo 4/FILE

NAIROBI, Kenya, Jan 27 – The wife of Prime Minister Raila Odinga, Ida, now says the country should seek mechanisms that would allow the cases facing four Kenyans at International Criminal Court (ICC) for crimes against humanity moved to Kenya.

Ida said that she shares in the anguish that the families of Uhuru Kenyatta, William Ruto, Joshua arap Sang and Francis Muthaura are being subjected to.

“Having been a wife of a former prisoner, I do understand how Rachel (Ruto’s wife), Mama Ngina (Uhuru’s mother) and radio presenter Sang’s wife and children and Mrs Muthaura are feeling,” she said.

“My own mother in-law succumbed to depression when her son who is now my husband, Raila Odinga, was in prison. I understand how the families are feeling. I can tell you it’s not a good feeling,” she said in a statement.

Ida argued that Kenyans were better placed to come up with solutions for local problems saying the issues facing the country, at the ICC, should be addressed internally.

She also said that the trials at the war crimes court cast Kenya in bad light.

She also called for the speedy conclusion of all issues surrounding the deadly 2008 post election violence saying there was need for its conclusion.

Ida stressed the need for resettling all Internally Displaced Persons so that Kenyans could comfortably move on from the ghosts of the post poll chaos.

“The issue of the Post Election Violence needs to be brought to closure to allow Kenyans to move on to other developmental issues,” she said.

She further cautioned Kenyans against rejoicing at what Kenyatta, Muthaura, Ruto and Sang were facing at the ICC.

“These are people we have lived with and are like my brothers. These are people known to me personally,” said Ida.

Meanwhile two constitutional commissions have called for the resignation of Kenyatta as Deputy Prime Minister arguing that the reasons that compelled his stepping down as Finance Minister equally applied.

The Kenya National Commission on Human Rights acting Chairman Samuel Tororei and the chairman of the Commission on Administrative Justice Otiende Amollo argued that Kenyatta’s post as Deputy Prime Minister bore a higher significance than that of the Finance Minister.

“The office of the Deputy Prime Minister attracts a higher threshold of the requisite leadership, integrity and ethical standards so we urge Kenyatta to relinquish this post,” they said in a joint statement.

Kenyatta can only relinquish this post if he chooses to resign, if he loses his parliamentary seat or if Members of Parliament pass a vote of no confidence in his leadership. The PNU side of the coalition government is then free to nominate any individual to replace him.

The two commissions however lauded Kenyatta and Muthaura for stepping aside, as they await the outcome of their ICC case.

“This should form a precedent for all similar situations in the future,” said Amollo.

They acknowledged the president for appointing a tribunal to investigate the conduct of Nancy Baraza, who has been suspended as Deputy Chief Justice.