We won’t deal with ICC, says Wamalwa

The Justice ministry is not the right government office to deal with ICC matters, minister Eugene Wamalwa has said.

In an apparent dismissal of his predecessor, Mr Mutula Kilonzo, who was vocal on the way some top politicians and government officials were relating with the International Criminal Court, Mr Wamalwa said the ministry had in the past usurped the roles of the Ministry of Internal Security and the Attorney-General.

He said he would steer the Justice docket into a new path to focus on local issues.

“My main focus is national healing and integration,” Mr Wamalwa said at Tuesday’s launch of a report detailing the challenges faced by minority communities in Kenya at Hilton Hotel in Nairobi.
The report was compiled by the African Commission Working Group on Indigenous Populations/Communities.

Mr Wamalwa, who was appointed by President Kibaki last week, said Section 21 of the International Crimes Act gave the role of working with The Hague-based Court to Internal Security minister George Saitoti and Attorney-General Githu Muigai.

Mr Kilonzo, who is now the minister for Basic Education, had insisted that ICC suspects chasing their presidential ambitions were ineligible for the office.

He had also invited the wrath of the G7 members and supporters when he fiercely criticised the diplomatic global trips made by Vice-President Kalonzo Musyoka to try to seek support for an earlier request to the United Nations Security Council for the deferral of the Kenyan cases at The Hague.

The minister also criticised a team appointed by the AG to “advise” the government on the next move after charges against four of the Ocampo Six were confirmed in January.

Mr Kilonzo took the Education docket from Prof Sam Ongeri, who moved to Foreign Affairs.

Mr Wamalwa said: “I will ensure that the Constitution is fully implemented so that the marginalised communities benefit from it as well.”

He also dismissed claims that he was put in the Justice ministry to work for certain individuals.