Uhuru, Ruto hold last rally ahead of Hague visit

Deputy Prime Minister Uhuru Kenyatta, Eldoret North MP William Ruto and about 50 MPs allied to them on Monday held the last round of prayers before they embark on their journey to The Hague.

The well-attended rally at Gatundu Stadium in Mr Kenyatta’s backyard marked the first time former First Lady Mama Ngina Kenyatta spoke about the summonses issued to the six Kenyans by the International Criminal Court.

The rally was marked by the invocation of the spirit of the founding father of the Nation Mzee Jomo Kenyatta and others who fought for Kenya’s independence from the British.

Mrs Kenyatta said Kenya is not ready to go back to domination under colonial rule and expressed hope that the cases against the Ocampo Six will not succeed.

“Uhuru, Ruto, Muthaura and the rest will go and come back because God sees and knows all and will render justice,” she told the crowd.

She said she will also document her life, with its connection to Kenya’s journey from the pre-independence days to the present day, in a book to be published soon.

She also prayed for her son and Mr Ruto before placing her hands on them as a speech by her husband the First President was played back to the crowd.

The Hague-bound duo also said they would harness their new-found unity to bring about peace in the Rift Valley, the epicenter of the violence they are accused of fuelling.

“You people have prayed for us, but Kenya has many challenges, which we need to tackle to avoid fighting in the future. If we are to have a nation we can be proud of, we have to fight poverty, work hard and create employment,” said Mr Ruto.

He said they would use their development records in the respective ministries they have served to create a formidable alliance ahead of the general election next year.

“Those who imagine the journey has ended should know it has just begun. They have managed to bring us together for this country,” said Mr Kenyatta.

“I believe that the unity we have seen will give us the strength to unite with our brothers from all over the country and develop this nation,” said Mr Kenyatta.

The day begun with a mass at the Gatundu Catholic Church, which was presided over by seven priests and three deacons, with the crowd later walking to the stadium where a host of preachers prayed and anointed them with oil.

Mr Kenyatta was accompanied by his wife Margaret and their children, with a host of relatives, among them former Gatundu MP Ngengi Muigai and former Kenya Airports Authority MD George Muhoho and his brother Gathecha Muhoho.

There was less of the negative language that characterized their earlier forays into Kiambu county and the Rift Valley but there were still some choice words reserved for Prime Minister Raila Odinga.

Transport minister Amos Kimunya spoke of the tribulations of Mr Kenyatta as an ODM plot to haunt him out of government the same way he was forced to exit as Finance minister over the sale of the Grand Regency Hotel.

Mr Kenyatta barely relented in his reference to Mr Odinga as a kimundu (nuisance bully).

“Raila called for mass action yet he is now the darling of the Western world. It cannot be said now that we are the ones who started the war, and those who did it are still free,” said Mr Kenyatta.

“Even if we go and are jailed for 100 years, I’ll know we have contributed to lasting peace in this country,” said Mr Kenyatta.

The Ruto-Uhuru alliance has been marketing itself as one way to bring about peace in the Rift Valley by reconciling the Kikuyu and Kalenjin communities.

Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka said it would be inconceivable to “ship leaders out to a foreign country and expect peace to prevail.”

“If the United Nations Security Council disregards the African Union’s quest for a deferral, it will be the equivalent of rejecting the continent as a whole,” said the VP.

He also talked of plans to establish an African Criminal Court tailored to handle offences under the ICC.

Energy minister Kiraitu Murungi said the ICC has neither the jurisdiction nor the power to handle the Kenyan case “as there were no international crimes committed.”