William Ruto ordered ejection of Kikuyus, ICC told
What you need to know:
- The 26th witness said Mr Ruto said he was still seeing white mushrooms which ought to be uprooted or eaten.
- The witness told the court that the Kikuyus were, however, not sent away.
Deputy President William Ruto asked members of his Kalenjin community during a Constitution referendum campaign in 2005 to uproot or eat the mushrooms in Rift Valley, the ICC heard.
The 26th witness, identified as P-0800, told the International Criminal Court that Mr Ruto said he was still seeing white mushrooms which ought to be uprooted or eaten.
Mr Ruto spoke in Kalenjin.
Asked by lawyer Anton Steynberg what the words meant, the witness said it meant that his target were the Kikuyus because some of them wear white scarfs on their heads.
WHITE SCARFS
“Members of the Kikuyu community are encouraged by their churches to wear the white scarfs. In my view, this meant that the Kalenjin should send away the Kikuyus,” said the witness.
The witness told the court that the Kikuyus were, however, not sent away.
The court heard that Mr Ruto advocated the removal of the Kikuyus because they were not voting in line with the Kalenjins and that most Kalenjins believed that the Kikuyus had taken over their land.
Mr Steynberg: What was the role of Mr Ruto at that time?
Witness: Mr Ruto was very vocal and spoke on behalf of Kalenjins.
The witness told the court that at one time Mr Ruto was made a spokesman of the Kalenjins.
The meeting was attended by over 1,000 people the witness added.
The witness said that MPs David Koros and Joshua Magut attended the meeting where Mr Ruto spoke in Kiswahili and Kalenjin.
The Kikuyus were not amused by Mr Ruto’s remarks while the Kalenjins applauded him, the court was told.
The trial of Mr Ruto and former radio journalist Joshua arap Sang resumed on Monday after a one-month break.
The witness is among the nine who had declined to testify or withdrew their statements but were summoned to appear before the court.
Mr Ruto and Mr Sang are accused of crimes against humanity committed during the post-election violence in 2007/2008.
Some 1,133 people were killed and several displaced during the chaos following the disputed General Election.
Mr Ruto is represented by Mr Karim Khan while Mr Sang is represented by Mr Katwa Kigen.
The witness testified against Mr Ruto and Mr Sang via video link from Nairobi.
