ICC cases reason why Obama will bypass Kenya
What you need to know:
- “It just wasn’t the best time for the president to travel to Kenya at this point” Ben Rhodes
The White House has now explained that the ICC cases facing Kenya’s top leaders are the reason why US President Barrack Obama is skipping his late father's homeland during his Africa tour which kicks off Wednesday next week.
White House officials said that “uncertainty following Kenya’s elections earlier this year and the fact that Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta [and his deputy William Ruto] is facing trial at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague” for allegedly orchestrating deadly violence in 2007-2008 following previous polls had nixed a possible visit.
Ben Rhodes, a deputy US national security advisor said that “It just wasn’t the best time for the president to travel to Kenya at this point”.
Speaking from Washington on Friday night during a teleconference mainly centred on the Africa visit, Rhodes however, insisted that Kenya retains a “special place” in the president’s heart.
