Poll chaos: Ruto wants court to clear his name

• A second minister accused by official human rights group wants name removed

Agriculture minister William Ruto wants his name removed from a report linking him to post-election violence.

Mr Ruto went to court on Friday seeking to have his name expunged from a report released by a statutory human rights watchdog.

He accuses the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights of making oppressive and arbitrary findings and, in addition to having his name removed, wants the entire report quashed.

Mr Ruto becomes the second Cabinet minister, after Deputy Prime Minister Uhuru Kenyatta, to move to court seeking to be cleared from the KNCHR report.

Certified urgent

In an application certified urgent, the Eldoret North MP says the report launched in July this year adversely mentions him as a participant in pre- and post-2007 election violence.

He says the report, titled On the Brink of Precipice: A human Rights Account of Kenya’s Post 2007 Election Violence, accuses him of planning, inciting and financing the violence.

Mr Kenyatta, who is also the Finance minister, has also moved to court arguing that he was not given a chance to defend himself.

Two judges have been appointed to hear his case, which has been set for February next year.

In reply, KNCHR says all persons adversely mentioned were given a chance to defend themselves, but they ignored it.

Through lawyer Katwa Kigen, Mr Ruto argued before Justice Roselyn Wendoh that he had managed to get a copy of the report from the KNCHR and gone through it. This, he said, was after his name was subjected to adverse publicity and, in the end, injured his standing and reputation.

The judge certified the application urgent and allowed Mr Kigen to institute proceedings with a view of quashing the report.

Adverse publicity

The counsel told the court that the matter was so urgent as to be accorded priority since his reputation and standing had been subjected to adverse publicity. He said if not heard urgently, Mr Ruto would continue to suffer irreparable loss and damage.

In his sworn statement filed in court, Mr Ruto faults the report, saying it was compiled by KNCHR purporting to exercise its statutory jurisdiction, but it ended up affecting his rights and legitimate expectations.