Ignore ICC judges over Ruto prayer rallies, says Uhuru

President Uhuru Kenyatta has endorsed the weekly political prayer rallies for his deputy, Mr William Ruto, and asked Jubilee MPs to ignore warnings by ICC judges.

Taking a broadside at the court during the sixth Mashujaa Day celebrations, the President said those pushing the cases at The Hague should leave Kenya alone.

“We know our problems and the troubles we have gone through and know that we as Kenyans have solutions to the issues we face,” said President Kenyatta in his address at Nyayo Stadium in Nairobi.

He said a judge cannot stop Kenyans from praying.

“As Kenyans, we should continue praying. No judge has the power to order us to stop praying. We believe in God and we have the freedom of worship so we’ll continue praying because we know the value of prayer,” he said.

Six days ago, Judge Chile Eboe-Osuji, who is presiding over the Ruto case at the ICC, had warned MPs against commenting on the ongoing trial during their prayer rallies. He said such utterances would not sway the judges. He also warned that political statements would not bully the judges into making a favourable judgment.

NATIONAL COHESION

MPs have petitioned the United Nations Security Council and the Assembly of States Parties to set up an office to audit how the Office of the ICC prosecutor got witnesses for the case against Mr Ruto and former radio journalist Joshua arap Sang. The African Union has also been enjoined in the case as a friend of the court.

Besides the ICC, the President also dwelt at length on national cohesion, asking Kenyans not to agree to be divided along ethnic lines. He said his Government had drafted a policy paper to guide national cohesion and integration.

He also took considerable time to talk about the media, asking MPs to delete clauses limiting freedom of expression from the Powers and Privileges Bill before passing it.

The Bill was passed with the offending clauses during the second reading last week, prompting the Speaker of the National Assembly to delay the third reading.

The Bill, among other things, makes it criminal for the public to engage in acts or utterances that “scandalise Parliament”. Anyone found guilty of such an offence would be liable to two years in prison or a Sh500,000 fine.

ANTI-MEDIA BILL

“It is important that the laws Parliament passes are in line with the Constitution, so I ask them to take a fresh look at the law and remove those parts that are in breach of the Constitution. We cannot leave in fear of people expressing their freedoms and we must ensure all Kenyans enjoy freedom of expression,” Mr Kenyatta said.

He was, however, critical of the media, urging them to observe values such as truthfulness and integrity.

And speaking in Kiswahili, he said: “Let them talk. There is nothing they can do to you. Don’t they insult me every day and you see I am not moved?”

The President also briefly commented on the corruption allegations against the National Youth Service, which has put pressure on Devolution and Planning Cabinet Secretary Anne Waiguru, under whose docket the NYS falls.

“Yes, there are problems that have arisen, but we shall sort them out,” he said and added, “Lastly on this subject, the youth empowerment programme is central to our government and we shall expand this to all corners of Kenya.”

JUBILEE ACHIEVEMENTS

Although he highlighted some of the Jubilee achievements since it took over power in 2013, Mr Kenyatta did not speak about the financial crisis that has been on the mind of the nation over the past week. However, the speech he read was different from the one circulated to guests and the media.

“As we gather today in different parts of our nation,” he said, “I would like to remind each of us of the progress and strides we have made in fighting poverty, ignorance and disease. These three remain the greatest challenges that take away our dignity. We recognise that overcoming poverty is not a task of charity. It is an act of justice”.

He then enumerated various projects undertaken by the government in the last two years, including connecting schools to the national electricity grid, reducing child and maternal mortality, increasing capitation for primary and secondary schools and the ongoing construction of the standard gauge railway, which he said was 55 per cent complete, and an expansion of the broadcasting sector from 14 to 53 television stations.