Motion to pull Kenya from ICC tabled in Parliament

A Bill seeking to have Kenya pull out of the Rome Statute has been tabled in the National Assembly.

Though cases against six Kenyans — among them President Uhuru Kenyatta and his deputy William Ruto — were dismissed by the International Criminal Court, the government has insisted that future crimes against humanity cases would be handled locally.

The tabling of the Bill by Bumula MP Boniface Otsiula was expected.

During a thanksgiving at Afraha Stadium, Nakuru in March after the charges against Mr Ruto and Mr Joshua arap Sang were dismissed, President Kenyatta said no Kenyan would be allowed “to travel ICC route” in future.

ISSUED WARRANT OF ARREST

ICC prosecutor Fatou Bensouda has issued an arrest warrant against three Kenyans, accusing them of interfering with witnesses.

Attorney-General Githu Muigai has insisted that the offences they are accused of can be dealt with by local courts.

In September 2013, an emergency motion was sent to the House by Jubilee MPs seeking the exit of Kenya from the ICC after the court summoned President Kenyatta to The Hague.

The motion was boycotted by most opposition lawmakers.

The ICC judges dismissed the cases against Mr Ruto and Mr Sang, saying the evidence did not meet the threshold to convict them.

However, they said the cases could be revived in future if the prosecutor gathered enough evidence. The charges facing the Kenyans referred to as “Ocampo six” stemmed from the violence that followed the declaration of Mr Mwai Kibaki president two days after the December 29, 2007 general elections.