Victims’ lawyer talks of selective IDP visits

Lawyer for victims of post-election violence Morris Anyah accused Deputy Prime Minister Uhuru Kenyatta of making selective visits to camps for the displaced.

But Mr Kenyatta said he visited IDP camps in Burnt Forest, Nakuru, Trans Nzoia and interacted with Luo and Luhya families.

“The Prime Minister comes from Nairobi and his support base according to him would be the Kenyan nation.

“If you talk about his Kibera constituency, then there are Kikuyus, Luos, Luhyas and Kisiis. It is cosmopolitan,” he said.

Maj-Gen Hussein Ali’s lawyer Evans Monari asked Mr Kenyatta whether ODM filed petitions for parliamentary elections in court despite calling for mass action because it had no faith in the Judiciary.

Mr Monari: Did ODM MPs file election petitions after Mr Odinga said he had no faith in the courts?

Mr Kenyatta: Yes, they did. The courts have adjudicated in these petitions and nullified some.

Mr Kenyatta also told the court that he took legal action against KTN for airing an interview with Mr Odinga linking him to Mungiki.

He pointed out that he was awarded damages, which he used to set up a fund for IDPs.

Mr Kenyatta said that as Finance minister, he had pledged to ensure all IDPs were resettled, irrespective of their ethnicity.

The minister said acts of violence were committed during the chaos, but he did not know who was responsible.

Presiding judge Ekaterina Trendafilova asked Mr Kenyatta if he sued Prof Peter Kagwanja for linking him to Mungiki.

He said he learnt about the allegations after he was summoned to the court and expressed his intention to take legal action later.

Mr Kenyatta said Civil Service boss Francis Muthaura was not involved in President Kibaki’s political campaigns.