Opinion
Why Kenya should not have signed the Rome Treaties
Posted Monday, November 23 2009 at 17:10
At the end of the day, it was tribalist rhetoric and bigotry that fanned the post-election conflict. Mzee Kenyatta and Mr Moi had many weaknesses, but in all their political rallies, they always preached nationalist aspirations.
These days, we only hear of ethnic alliances. Now, if two or three Kenyan tribes sign an alliance pact, what it means is that they have no interest in the remaining 40 Kenyan tribes. Is that the best way to build a sound republic?
BUT LET ME NOT STRAY. WE WERE talking about the ICC and Moreno-Ocampo and let me plead that we keep the two phenomena out. More importantly, we have other issues to debate rather than wasting time on Ocampo, Ocampo and Ocampo.
I would, for example, love to hear more discussion on East African integration, on the type of universities that are emerging in Kenya, on the historic neglect of the intellectuals by the successive Kenyan governments, on whether it is necessary to build a second sea port at Lamu, on our relations with China, on the rise and fall of Europe, and so on.
We are a great nation, but our minds are clogged by the short-circuited minds of our politicians.
Prof Ochieng’ teaches History at Maseno University
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Submitted by jelnamPosted November 24, 2009 08:15 PM
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Submitted by kamaujm
My UK lecturer writes substance and he is western European for your record! Woe unto those who are taught by this bigoted professor. Had I forgotten that William Ochieng belongs to the yester Kanu think tank with my old professor Mwanzi! God bless those poor kids who are taught by the likes of Ochieng and Mwanzi!
Posted November 24, 2009 05:36 PM -
Submitted by werssylwer
This guy is a teacher? Unbelievable! To him Obama is not impearilistic but Ocampo is. Oh my word!! A teacher? U must be kidding me. Ocampo is more important to Kenya right now than this " taecher" knows. Graciouse me, this is unbelievable!!!
Posted November 24, 2009 08:19 AM -
Submitted by okamala
I totally disagree with you. ICC,UNHCR and other international body protocols were designed for the common good of all persons. ICC was not formed to target Africa, and ICC only comes in when the internal organs don't seem willing or have failed to act. I don't bwana Ochieng, if you were a victim or lost doring th PEV, you would still have wrotten this article
Posted November 24, 2009 08:00 AM -
Submitted by psaisi
Prof Ochieng, I wish I had enough space to rebuttal your views. If someone had given you death and gonorrhea which one will you go for? ICC is there to deter those who want to kill in order to rule. It is better to loose something in return for discouraging impunity. "Binding and brotherly decisions" you have mentioned has failed many times even 2007. It was International community ( you refer to as imperialists) that saved our country. Think about that!
Posted November 24, 2009 07:22 AM
RSS
so bwana kamau pray tell what is the substance that comes from the Western European and what has that anything to do with strengthening national institutions? Even if W Ochieng has never been the most objective academic, he makes perfect sense in urging for strengthening of domestic institutions and moving on from the Ocampo preoccupation. By the way, since its inception in 2001, how many trials has the ICC successfully concluded?