Breaking News: 3 More Witnesses 'Refuse' to Testify Against Charges Facing Uhuru Kenyatta at ICC

Adapted From Daily Nation 

International Criminal Court prosecutor Fatou Bensouda has withdrawn three witnesses she intended to rely on in President Kenyatta's trial.

Kenyan ICC Victims Pull Out Of The Hague Based Court Proceedings

As Reported by Capital FM. Three months before Kenya’s deputy president is due to go on trial at the International Criminal Court in The Hague, 93 victims of violence that followed a disputed election in late 2007 have pulled out of the proceedings.

In a letter dated June 5, the 93 victims informed the court that they did not support the prosecution of Kenya’s newly elected president, Uhuru Kenyatta, and his deputy William Ruto, both of whom stand accused of orchestrating the bloodshed.

International Criminal Court ICC dismisses claims on Kenyan cases

Photo Courtesy

The International Criminal Court (ICC) has dismissed a resolution made by the African Union ( AU) over the Kenyan cases before the court.

African Heads of State objected to International Criminal Court trials facing President Uhuru Kenyatta and his Deputy William Ruto but The Hague-based court responded judges couldn’t be swayed by political positions.

In their resolution passed Monday, the African leaders said that Kenya has a credible Judiciary capable of hearing and determining the cases impartially and expeditiously.

Latest Developments: William Ruto and SangICC Changes Judges In Ruto and Sang Cases

William Ruto and Sang

The International Criminal Court (ICC) has set up two chambers to deal with the two Kenyan cases to reduce workload during the trial.

The court also changed the Presiding Judge who will oversee the trial of Deputy President William Ruto and radio journalist Joshua arap Sang as the Kenyan suspects await the court’s decision on the date of the crucial trial.

Senator Mutham Tells Off President Yoweri Museveni Over ICC Remarks

Johnson Muthama

Uganda President Yoweri Museveni found himself on the receiving end when a Senator attacked him over his involvement in the country’s internal affairs.

Machakos County senator Johnstone Muthama told Museveni off over his claims that there is a plot to detain President Uhuru Kenyatta at The Hague when his trial begins on July 9.

“Nobody should come here and dictate us on what to do. If Museveni has afriend here,then he should come and pick them and they go together,” said Muthama.

President Museveni was quoted claiming there is a plot to detain President Kenyatta at The Hague.

The fiery Machakos Senator reminded the Ugandan president that he “chased” the former president Idi Amin on charges that he had killed Ugandans.

“Those who participated in the mass killing of Kenyans during the 2007/08 post election violence must face the law at The Hague,” charged Muthama in an apparent reference to President Kenyatta and his Deputy William Ruto.

Muthama said it is not the country which is at trial at The Hague over crime charges against humanity but Uhuru and Ruto.

He recalled how the two and others asked him to mobilize MPs in the 10^th parliament as the Chief Government Whip to vote that those facing crimes against humanity over the post election violence be tried at The Hague.

“The two tasked me to mobilize MPs to have the ICC cases tried at The Hague. They are now using millions of tax payers’ money in shuttle diplomacy missions which the former VP Kalonzo Musyoka engaged in vain,” added Muthama.

Ironically on Saturday, Kalonzo cautioned against plans by African leaders to stop co-operation with the International Criminal Court (ICC) saying the move will turn African countries into dictatorships.

Ruto has since visited Congo Brazzavile, Nigeria, Gabon, and Ghana to lobby support for an African Union resolution endorsing the East African region’s request for a referral of ICC investigations and prosecutions....Courtesy of SDN

President Uhuru Kenyatta asks ICC to postpone trial to January 2014

President Uhuru Kenyatta has asked the International Criminal Court to move his trial date moved to January 2014.

In his application to the trial judges, President Uhuru has said his defence team needs more time to investigate the “credibility and substantive allegations made by five prosecution witnesses whose identities and unredacted transcripts have still not been disclosed” to the defence.

Both President Kenyatta and his Deputy William Ruto are accused of crimes against humanity following the chaos that followed the flawed general elections in 2007. The President’s trial is scheduled to start on July 9 of this year.

Deputy President Ruto had also asked the ICC  postpone his trial date to November at the earliest. Ruto’s trial at the Hague was scheduled to start on May 28 but was postponed by the trial judges until a status conference that began on Monday.

At the status conference Ruto’s defence team was challenged to explain why the trial should be postponed to November and why he should be allowed to attend some of the proceedings through video link.

On Tuesday the Deputy President made an historic appearance before ICC judges to negotiate his physical absence from the trial. 

Together with his co-accused Joshua Sang, Ruto became the first Deputy President to appear before Hague - based court in what his lawyer Karim Khan described as a testimony to his “exemplary record of cooperation” with the court......Courtesy of Kenyan daily express

Uhuru Kenyatta in London - Picture Speak

Delegates Meeting In Progress

More Delegates Arriving For The Meeting

How Son of Jomo Arrived at The Lancaster House for The Meeting

President Yoweri Museveni was Equally in Attendance

President Uhuru Kenyatta Arriving in an Official Presidentail Car

More Delegates Arriving For The Conference

Part of The Delegates At The Lancaster Meeting - Notably Somali President on the Far right

President Uhuru Kenyatta Making a Presentation at The Lancaster Meet

Preident of Kenya Uhuru Kenyatta arrives for the Somalia Conference held at Lancaster House in London, Tuesday May 7

Uhuru Kenyatta Arrives In London A Mid Tight Security

                                                                   Courtesy of Kenya Today.

The Kenya’s President Uhuru Muigai Kenyatta   arrived in London in the early hours of the morning around 6:00 hours local time. His early arrival time seems to have been a deliberate effort by his hosts the UK government to shield him from the hungry media to broadcast his UK arrival and the potential backlash from human rights organizations like Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch.

Upon arrival, President Kenyatta was received by the MI5 [The UK’s Special Branch], officials from the UK government and staff from the Kenya High Commission in London led by Ambassador Ephraim Ngare.

They were then whisked away through Cargo Planes sections of Heathrow Airport Terminal 4 and together with his entourage were driven to secret locations in London.

Up to the time of writing this article at 14:30hrs local time, no media house is aware of the whereabouts of Uhuru’s entourage and there is a total media blackout about the President presence here.

Kenyans waiting to see their President on mainstream media like BBC, SKY, CNN etc may wait indefinitely but will be sure to see him through PPS among the Central Communities migrant in the UK organized by some local pastors.

To save face of Cameron’s administration from a storm that would appear to be granting a head of state with similar status as Sudan’s Al Bashir an official visit, Her Majesty’s government with it’s elite security agencies are   managing the visit to be as incognito as it could be.

 The Conference the President is attending will deliberate on strengthening security, policing and justice system as well as public finance management in Somalia as part of the wider strategy of stabilizing the country and ensuring security in the Horn of Africa region.

The President is accompanied by First Lady Margaret Kenyatta and Attorney General Githu Muigai among other senior Government officials.

The AG is expected to be handy for the president in assisting to vigorously defend his status of being ‘innocent until proven guilty’.