African leaders are “constitutional mutilators” says Ban Ki Moon

Africa Heads of States were hit hard by Ban Ki Moon. He called them “mutilators of constitution”. President Uhuru Kenyatta was in attendance. Indeed, The GRAND FINALE battle between worlds’ superpowers and Africa has just begun. Let’s keep watching!

In ADDIS at the Africa Union Summit – 2016, African leaders unanimously adopted the proposal to withdraw Africa from being part of International Criminal Court. This move came in the midst of BAN KiMoon’s bullying trend of reprimanding African leaders for their heinous act of changing constitutions to fit their extension of terms and calling them “mutilators of constitution”.

While at it, Mugabe was on the other side calling upon Africa leaders to adopt their intention to review and expunge Rome Status on matters of ICC. The Mugabe proposal was unanimously adopted by the Africa leaders. Indeed, it was a show of might at the African Union Summit held in Addis Ababa – Ethiopia.

When the Africa Union Member states met in Addis last week, they had one major resolution: to approve the proposal of withdrawing from ICC. Indeed, this saw the light of the day after it was overwhelmingly endorsed by the Africa Leaders but while at it, U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon reprimanded the African leaders and questioned their mutilated thinking of clinging unto the power, changing constitutions to fit their extension of terms in office.  He mentioned that indeed Africa leaders are master prowess of their constitutions and they should stop mutilating their citizen’s mind set through their uncouth and unconstitutional schemes.

He observed that they should not use legal loopholes or undemocratic constitutional changes to "cling to power", and that they should respect term limits. He said in part that "Leaders should never use undemocratic constitutional changes and legal loopholes to cling to power. We have all seen the tragic consequences when they do," Ban told the gathered presidents, including Zimbabwe's veteran leader Robert Mugabe. It echoed remarks made by U.S. President Barack Obama in the same AU hall on a trip to Ethiopia in July.

On the same forum, Zimbabwean President and head of the African Union Robert Mugabe while making his closing remarks at the African Union summit reprimanded the UN and its member states for not taking Africa serious. Mugabe was equally reprimanding the West for their retrogressive and backward thinking about Africa.   He said that UN is a good vehicle to address World problems but requested the Americans and the west to shape up and smell the coffee.

Indeed, his point was that Africa should not be treated like a “no-issue-no factor” continent. Indeed, he led an adoption team fully charged to embrace him to the exact that all Africa leaders adopted the Africa’s withdraw from ICC as the International Criminal Court. Mugabe, who turns 91 in February 2016 and the only leader Zimbabweans have known since 1980, made one of his regular swipes at Western powers who he accuses of still harbouring colonial ambitions and of monopolizing power at the United Nations. "Do we allow that group to continue ... to harass us even in our independent countries," Mugabe asked after Ban had spoken.

My take: The GRAND FINALE battle between worlds’ superpowers and Africa has just begun. Let’s keep watching!

Dr. Njenga, Solomon Chairman - School of Governance, Peace and Security Africa Nazarene University