War of words rages over Deputy President William Ruto's ICC cases

The accusations and counter accusations between Jubilee and the Coalition for Reforms and Democracy (CORD) on the ongoing Kenyan cases at the International Criminal Court (ICC) are far from over.

Jubilee has on several occasions during the so-called prayer meetings accused CORD leader Raila Odinga of abandoning Deputy President William Ruto.

And now CORD leaders have accused Jubilee of insincerity in the ICC saga. They have also accused the leaders of using public funds to organise the prayer rallies. The over 15 MPs said they will not attend the prayer rallies because the conveners are not honest.

"We know they are praying for different things. The National Alliance (TNA) is praying that Ruto be jailed for life and quickly. Ruto's people are praying that the truth may prevail and justice dispensed. They are praying for different things and we cannot be part of hypocritical prayer rallies," said Homa Bay Town MP Peter Kaluma.

Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) Political Affairs Secretary Opiyo Wandayi said TNA is fearing a backlash from Rift Valley following a confession by Gatundu South MP Moses Kuria that he recruited and paid witnesses against the DP.

"As CORD we will treat anything Kuria says with the contempt it deserves. The DPP should arrest him and charge him with procuring witnesses," said Mbita MP Millie Odhiambo.

clear names

CORD also challenged National Assembly Majority Leader Aden Duale to testify at the ICC, arguing he was in ODM and if there was any procuring of witnesses, then he was at the heart of it.

But, Jubilee wants Raila to clear the air on a series of actions they claimed squarely places him at the heart of the DP's current woes.

In a hard hitting statement, over 50 Jubilee MPs asked Raila to respond to a series of questions, including whether he had informed former ICC Prosecutor Luis Moreno Ocampo that he believed "the DP was innocent".

The MPs said Raila had stood by while the DP bore the legal consequences of the 2007-2008 post-election violence, and wondered why it had taken him so long to "acknowledge Ruto's innocence".

"It has taken the former Prime Minister six years for him to be forthright about the post-election violence. The person he now calls comrade has gone through hell on earth. Up until this confession, the most we have heard from him was that the six should go to ICC and clear their names," the MPs said in their statement read by Duale.