Rift Valley IDPs turn against ICC trials

By SILAH KOSKEI and MICHAEL OLLINGA

Victims of the 2007/2008 post-election violence in Rift Valley region support the political marriage between President Uhuru Kenyatta and his deputy William Ruto to end the long standing conflicts as opposed to the ICC judicial process.

 The coalition that brought Uhuru and Ruto together was necessitated by the need to reconcile their two backyard communities that had conflicts after the 2007 controversial poll results were announced.

 Despite the Jubilee victory the International Criminal Court (ICC) cases against the president and his deputy remain to be a nightmare to their leadership. The international court maintains that its cases are not political and will proceed until justice is administered.

 Both the political and judicial approaches are viewed as possible solutions to end the ICC push to full trials begging the question, which of the two will heal the long standing conflict between the communities in the Rift Valley?

 The Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) officials and religious leaders from the Kikuyu community in North Rift region, who are among those who were affected by the 2007 post-election violence, have said the political marriage between the president and his deputy has played a major role in facilitating the healing process.

 Pastor Samuel Mbugua, a coordinator of the Agikuyu community in the North Rift, said calm had fully returned and that the healing process was at its peak.

 “We were bitter immediately after the 2007 poll chaos, but now there is a paradigm shift and people have forgiven each other and learnt that revenge is not the solution towards justice,” Mbugua said.

 The community leaders said the healing process received a boost after Uhuru and Ruto, who were at conflict during the 2007 polls chaos, put away their differences and reconciled the region.

 Titus Bitok, an advocate of the High Court in Eldoret asserts that the judicial system can never be wished away for a political system because the court wants to serve in the best interest of the claimant, saying the public should not speculate about The Hague process, but wait for the final outcome.

 However, Bitok says the need by both Ruto and Uhuru to contest for presidency under the Jubilee coalition in a move to bolster peace among the warring communities has contributed to the national healing process.

 “Kenyans have come of age and know the truth about the 2007 post-election chaos, the ongoing cases at ICC will not impact anything on the established cohesion and will instead act as a significant gesture that the two communities have learnt from the past and are ready to forge ahead amicably,” he stated.

 He said the March 4 General Election   was conducted through a peaceful process and showed Kenyans had learnt to embrace one another despite their political stand, adding that the outcome of the cases will not affect their peaceful coexistence.

 “People may say that some Kenyans are waiting for the conclusion of ICC cases in order to heal but in my view, the people embarked on the healing process long before the trials and this can be drawn from the peaceful manner in which the last elections were conducted,” he explained.