Police warn Kenyan politicians over Hague utterances

By Collins Wanzala

(L-R) Kenyatta and Ruto, two Kenyan politicians vying for the presidency and involved in cases at The Hague.

Police in Kenya have issued a stern warning to politicians issuing inflammatory remarks ahead of the country`s general election that they will be dealt with harshly. Issuing the warning in Nairobi today, the country`s Police Commissioner Mathew Iteere said that Police will not sit back and watch as politicians go around the country campaigning and inciting Kenyans as it happened in 2007 where the country was politically divided leading to the chaotic general elections which left over 1000 dead and about half a million people uprooted from their homes.

Kenyan Police which is still faced by challenges in crime detention, investigation and housing for its officers has announced that it will, as a measure of preparedness to the forth coming general election, employ more than 7000 Police Officers.

On Thursday the International Criminal Court (ICC) Chief Prosecutor Louis Moreno-Ocampo wrote to Kenyan Attorney General Prof Githu Muigai complaining of interference of some people in Kenya with his witnesses in the case facing four Kenyans at The Hague. He complained that his alleged people had hacked into the mails of his witnesses and intimidated them. Recently there has been bitter exchange of words between columnists writing for various newspapers in Kenya over the ICC decision to deny granting an appeal by the four Kenyans who are facing charges at the court.

The complaint prompted Prof Muigai to order Mr Iteere, Director of National Security Intelligence Service Major General Michael Gichangi and the Director of the Criminal Investigation Department Muhorro Ndegwa to investigate the matter to the fullest and report to him immediately.

Co-Operative Development Minister Joseph Nyagah who was at the same function of the Kenya Police staff Sacco Annual General meeting where Iteere made the warning to the politicians, supported the Police Commissioner saying that if police stick to that warning, many politicians will desist from making incitement utterances in public meetings and campaign rallies which will save Kenya from following the 2007/08 chaos route.

President Kibaki who is in his final months of office hinted recently that the general election will be held in March 2013 and that he will respect the constitutional court ruling which passed the judgment. Prime Minister Raila Odinga has on the other hand claimed that the general election must be held in December this year.

Two of the four Kenyans who are facing crimes against humanity cases at The Hague, Deputy Prime Minister Uhuru Kenyatta and Eldoret North Member of Parliament William Ruto, are nursing ambitions of becoming President and have vowed that whatever comes their names must be on the presidential ballot box come the general election. The two have accused the Prime Minister of fixing them at The Hague, allegations that Odinga has vehemently denied.

The other two Kenyans charged at the court are former head of the Civil Service and Secretary to the Cabinet Ambassador Francis Muthaura and radio journalist Joshua Arap Sang.

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