Video clip of Raila, Ruto rally shown

A video clip of a rally attended by Prime Minister Raila Odinga and William Ruto was on Monday played to show that Mr Joshua Sang did not attend any meeting at which attacks were planned during the 2008 post election chaos.

Lawyer Katwa Kigen representing Mr Sang used the video clips as he fought allegations by International Criminal Court Prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo that his client attended meetings at which the killings in the Rift Valley were planned.

One video footage of the rally showed Mr Odinga, Mr Musalia Mudavadi and Mr Ruto addressing the gathering on November 2 2007 in Kapkatet, Kericho County, the same day Mr Sang is alleged to have attended a preparatory meeting at the home of the Eldoret North MP .

“This is the same day that the prosecution claims that Mr Sang and Mr Ruto were involved in a meeting where guns were distributed,” he said.

He argued that Kapkatet was 160 kilometres away from Mr Ruto’s Sugoi home.

One of the videos played by lawyer Katwa Kigen representing Mr Sang to show that Mr Ruto was in Amagoro and therefore could not be at his home with Mr Sang on December 14, 2007 however had no sound.

The defence also denied the presence of foreigners, from North Uganda, Equatorial Guinea and South Sudan, in organising the PEV violence.

Painted as a peacemaker, the defence of radio broadcast Joshua Sang on Monday evening sought to weaken the prosecutor’s case by punching holes in the prosecution’s evidence.

“My client was indeed a peace maker who endeavoured in a small way as a broadcaster to preach peace,” his lawyer told the court.

The defence accused the prosecution of not doing thorough investigation when they accused Mr Sang of attending meetings on December 30, 2006 and November 2007 at Ruto’s Sugoi home and others on 15 April 2007 in Molo Town and Dec 6 2007 at Kipkelion when “ he was not there.”

“The statement issued to the court by my clients explains that he was nowhere in these meetings,’’ Mr Kigen said as he went on with his defence.

The lawyer also argued that Mr Fredrick Kapondi was incarcerated and was therefore not in one of the meetings he allegedly attended with Mr Sang to so as to plan  the violence and issue out guns.

A statement presented by the Defence from the Commissioner of Prisons pointed out that Mr Kapondi was in prison continuously from April 17, 2007 to December 14, 2007.

“Its alleged by all the witness that only Mr Kapondi was the supplier of guns on November 2, 2007…. This is not true,” he said.