The 2007 Kenyan presidential race resulted in a violent
uproar that resulted in the loss of 1,300 lives and displaced 600,000 more. The
two men believed to have orchestrated this post-election violence are Deputy
Prime Minister Uhuru Kenyatta and former cabinet minister William Ruto. The ICC
is charging both men with crimes against humanity for their alleged involvement
in organizing the violent outbreak. The men are set to appear in front of the
International Criminal Court on April 10 of next year but it now appears that
that might be too late. Kenyatta and Ruto announced on Sunday that they tend to
run on the same ticket in next years election for the offices of President and
Vice President, respectively. The election falls on March 4, just before their
ICC hearing.
The dangerous men have a wide range of charges brought
against them from the ICC including murder, rape, deportation, persecution, and
various other crimes against humanity. However, they maintain their innocence
and stress their desire to “preach peace” and “build Kenya.” It seems as though
many Kenyans are willing to accept this ticket. The petition to seek a court
ruling on their eligibility to run has been unexpectedly withdrawn leaving
little to impede their campaign before March 4. With Kenyatta coming from the largest ethnic group in Kenya
and Ruto from the third largest tribe, the men are projected to garner mass
support by combining their ticket. A win in the election will surely help their
case the following month with the ICC.
The 2007 violence changed the image we had as an
international audience of Kenya as a stable East African country. Since then,
the country has experienced turmoil and tension due to the worst violence it
had seen in years and the subsequent unresolved issues. I think it is very
unfortunate that two men suspected to have been behind the devastation could
potentially be rightfully elected into the highest political positions in the
country. The biggest shame, to me, is the withdrawal of the petition to seek a
ruling on their eligibility in the first place. It seems to me that two men who
are being charged with various heinous crimes by the ICC would be ineligible to
run for the presidency. And the fishiness of them running on the same ticket
should raise a few eyebrows as well. Since the election falls before their ICC
hearing I think it is very important that they are brought before some type of
higher court to decide whether or not they should be allowed to run. The idea
that they would win because of their ethnic background, which would in turn
affect the outcome of the ICC’s decision, is disturbing. I hope that they are
held to a higher standard of accountability for their actions before the
election so as to shed some light on the potential corruption of their ticket.
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/africa/2012/12/201212293351420258.html
I agree that Kenyatta and Ruto should not be able to run in the upcoming election, especially if they are facing ICC charges around the same time as the election date. And I also find it extremely suspicious that two candidates from opposing parties are creating an alliance. However, it has to be remembered that when political parties fall on ethnic lines, policy preferences and ideologies are almost insignificant. In addition, I find this news piece to further demonstrate the amount of corruption in the Kenyan government. In theory, if this was a more legitimate, democratic government these criminals would not be allowed to run for office again.
ReplyDeleteI also don't think they should be able to run if they're facing ICC charges...I don't understand why you wrote it was almost too late since they are running for the elections--if they're elected president/vice does that make them immune to the ICC? Or maybe it would just create more instability for them to be elected and then tried/arrested.
ReplyDeleteI'd be curious to know how aware the local population is of the charges against them, and how much that is weighted when they are making their voting decision. It will be interesting to see how the elections turn out, and how "free and fair" they are
Yes, I meant that it would be too late to stop them from being elected President and Vice President because the ICC hearing falls after the election. I feel like if it were before the election, and if they were convicted, that might prevent them from winning. Although you would think just being accused of the crimes they are would be enough of a deterrent to the Kenyan people. That and the fact that they have suspiciously joined forces to run. I agree with you Nicole, it is just so fishy and definitely highlights the amount of corruption still occurring in Kenya, to me. We will have to wait and see how this plays out.
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting to see a nation where the former president was revered by its citizens as one of the best leaders of Kenya prior to the brief turmoil of 2007, would even allow two candidates charged by the ICC to run. However it's important to note that the ICC charges are alleged accusations. Nevertheless, Kenya's citizens should keep a weary eye on the two candidates.
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