Six prominent Kenyans were last week named by the International Criminal Court chief prosecutor as suspects to be charged with offences including murder and rape, which are said to have occurred in 2008 following the disputed Kenyan elections. For many years Kenya’s political elite has, according to common perception, enjoyed immunity from prosecution for any types of offences, and this is said to have led to widespread corruption and abuse of human rights, particularly during the era of former president Moi.
There is still no consensus about the need for punishing the wrongdoings of the powerful, as evidenced by the Kenyan parliament’s failure to agree on any method for dealing with the perpetrators of the post-election violence. The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court is now seeking to step into the breach, although Kenyan politicians are still debating ways of avoiding the ICC process.
The six prominent Kenyans include William Ruto MP, Henry Kosgey MP and radio presenter Joshua arap Sang, who are alleged to have co-ordinated violence against supporters of the PNU party; and Uhuru Kenyatta MP, secretary to the Cabinet Francis Muthaura, and former police chief Mohammed Hussein Ali, who are alleged to have co-ordinated violence against supporters of the ODM party.