ICC trials will not destabilise country, says Uhuru

President Kenyatta Thursday said trials at the International Criminal Court facing him and his deputy will not destabilise the country and expressed Kenya’s willingness to continue cooperating with the court.

The Head of State reiterated his innocence on the crimes against humanity charges facing him and Mr William Ruto and said he was confident that they would be acquitted.

“Get to know that the Jubilee Government will not collapse. We are ready to go there to stand trial and come back since all these are acts of falsehood against us,” said the President.

He warned those bent on inciting the public that they would face the full force of the law, adding that Kenyans were ready to move on and concentrate on development activities.

On calls for a referendum by a section of leaders in the country, President Kenyatta dismissed the new push to amend the Constitution, saying the move was bound to impede development in the country and interfere with the supreme law that Kenyans voted for.

He said his administration was focused on service delivery and nothing would distract it from implementing what it promised Kenyans during the campaigns.

Honorary degree

President Kenyatta was speaking in Uasin Gishu County Thursday during graduation ceremony for Moi University where he was awarded an honorary Doctor of Letters-in Literature (Honoris Causa) degree.

Still on the ICC issue the President exonerated himself and Mr Ruto against claims that they engineered the 2007/08 post-poll violence and asked Kenyans to pray for them as they stand trial in The Hague.

“I teamed up with Mr Ruto in 2002 when I contested for the presidency and there was no violence and the same was replicated in March this year when we emerged victorious,” said President Kenyatta while appealing to Kenyans to maintain peace during the ICC trial period.

The trial against Mr Ruto and former radio presenter Joshua arap Sang is on-going in The Hague while the Presidents trial is expected to commence on November 12.
The Head of State Thursday said the hearings would not distract the Jubilee Government from implementing its pre-election pledges and hit at their political opponents for allegedly capitalising on the ICC trials and calling for a referendum on devolution to gain public sympathy.

In an apparent reference to Cord under the stewardship of former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, President Kenyatta hit out at individuals who were out to take over the country’s leadership through unorthodox means.

“Those who lost in the General Election should wait for another chance instead of behaving like hyenas since my government is stable and ready to serve Kenyans,” said the President.

He further revealed an array of pledges to reform the education sector to propel the growth of the country’s economy towards realisation of Vision 2030.

President Kenyatta said the government would improve public universities’ funding and increase financial allocation for research from 0.4 percent to 2 per cent of the national income.

Create jobs

The Head of State disclosed that the government had received Sh8.6 billion grant from India to finance power generation at Moi University and modernize Rivatex-a textile factory associated with the institution to create 5,000 jobs.

The President was accompanied by several Cabinet secretaries, Jacob Kaimenyi (Education), Najib Balala (Mining), Phyllis Kandie (East African Community) and Felix Kosgei (Agriculture).