Deputy President William Ruto heads back to The Hague

Deputy President William Ruto left the country for The Hague ahead of the resumption of his trial before the International Criminal Court, which adjourned last week due to a witness hitch

Accompanied by his wife Rachael, the Mr Ruto left on Monday aboard a Kenya Airways flight that departed from the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport at around 8.30 am.

A host of senior government officials, politicians and friends thronged the airport to bid him farewell. They included Parliament’s majority leader Aden Duale and his Senate counterpart Kithure Kindiki.

Others were Senators Kipchumba Murkomen, Charles Keter, Lenny Kivuti, Paul Wamantangi, Cabinet Secretaries James Macharia and Kazungu Kambi and others. Also present was his mother Sarah.

The Deputy President and his entourage arrived at the airport at around 7.30am. Clad in his trademark black cap, grey trousers and a stripped white shirt, he briefly had a jig with members of the Nyakinyua traditional dancers from Kiambu at the VIP entrance.

One member of the dance troupe was overheard telling the Deputy President to take heart even as he attended the trials. A jovial Mr Ruto then left and had a brief meeting with his senior government officials at the VIP lounge before he boarded his flight.

The hearing of cases facing Mr Ruto and Mr Sang started last Tuesday, but was adjourned on Wednesday because ICC chief prosecutor Ms Fatou Bensouda had no witnesses ready.

The first witness is expected to take the stand at the ICC on Tuesday when hearing resumes.

Bensouda is expected to call witness number 536 to the stand in her effort to prove that Ruto and radio journalist Joshua arap Sang were the architects of the violence in Uasin Gishu and Nandi districts in early 2008.

Both Mr Ruto and Sang are facing crimes against humanity charges committed dur ing the 2008 post-election violence that led to the death of more than 1,000 people with 650,000 others left homeless.

Both pleaded not guilty to the charges read out by presiding judge Chile Eboe-Osuji. Mr Sang remained in The Hague.

This week, the prosecutor is expected to try and show how Mr Ruto and his alleged syndicate of powerful allies, including his co-accused Mr Sang, sought to exploit the historical tensions between the Kalenjin and Kikuyu for their own political and personal ends.

The Nation on Monday learnt that at least 25 MPs left the country on Sunday evening for The Hague to give moral support to the duo.