Kiai tells Uhuru and Ruto to bow out of State House race
What you need to know:
- Activist says holder of top seat should bring honour to country which the two wouldn’t do
The UN special Rapporteur on the Rights to Freedom of Peaceful Assembly and of Association, Mr Maina Kiai, has maintained that Deputy Prime Minister Uhuru Kenyatta and Eldoret North MP William Ruto are not qualified to contest the presidency until they are cleared of charges of crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Court at The Hague.
Mr Kiai said the duo should reconsider their desire for the top job in a bid “to bring honour, respect and dignity to the position of Kenya’s presidency”.
Mr Kiai, a former Kenya National Human Rights Commission chairman, said the two politicians must consider the implications of their appearing at The Hague in the event they are elected to the top office.
“How will the government run if the President or his deputy or both are facing trials at the ICC and whose proceedings they must attend in person?” he asked during The Trend, an NTV talk show, Friday night.
Mr Kiai said supporters of Mr Kenyatta and Mr Ruto have the option of supporting another presidential candidate whose “vision and policies are similar to those of the duo”.
He said the threshold of integrity must remain high in the Judiciary, Executive and Parliament.
“The Judiciary has already set the tone, and other arms of Government must follow suit. This is what will see an end to impunity in this country,” explained the rights activist.
“Crimes against humanity are very serious in the world and cannot be wished away like a petty crime. And although the two are innocent until proven guilty, they must consider the fate of Kenya in the event they are elected to office.”
A High Court ruling on the eligibility of the duo is expected later this month and is expected to affect the political scene, irrespective of the outcome.
Last Wednesday, Mr Kiai, together with former Ethics PS John Githongo and Ndung’u Wainaina of the International Centre for Policy and Conflict clashed with MPs investigating a controversial dossier that accused Britain of involvement in an alleged conspiracy in the ICC cases.
