Pokot leaders appease gods to save Ruto, Sang from ICC

Over 500 elders and political leaders from West Pokot County on Monday held traditional prayers at Nasukuta area, Pokot South Constituency over the International Criminal Court (ICC) case facing Deputy President William Ruto and radio journalist Joshua Arap Sang.

The elders conducted special prayers and rituals to appease the gods and ensure Ruto and Sang are set free by The Hague based court.

Led by Pokot Council of Elders’ chairperson Paramount Chief John Muok, the elders slaughtered a bull and performed other rituals with an aim of seeing the court drop the case due to lack of evidence.

In a ceremony that was attended by residents from four sub counties, the elders said they are tired of the case and it’s the high time the case was dropped.

Elder John Kalemelech reiterated that President Uhuru Kenyatta and Ruto did not contest for the presidency in the 2007 General Elections hence the former President Mwai Kibaki and former Prime Minister Raila Odinga should be held accountable for the crimes.

Kalemelech asked the court to drop the cases since of the communities which were conflicting in the country have forgiven each other and they were living in peace.

They called on the ICC prosecutor Fatou Bensouda to visit Pokot and talk to council of elders who will inform her on what transpired in the 2007/08 Post Election Violence.

Among those that attended the function included West Pokot Governor Simon Kachapin, Pokot South Member of Parliament David Pkossing, West Pokot Women Representative Regina Nyeris and Turbo Member of Parliament Elisha Busienei who supported the petition to ICC by Pkossing to terminate the case facing the two.

The leaders said that they have been praying for more than seven years and they will continue performing traditional prayers until the court terminates the case.

Kachapin said that justice has not been done by the court and asked the court to consider the petition presented by the national assembly of terminating the DP and Sang’s case.

On his part, MP Pkossing said fresh investigations should done accusing former ICC prosecutor Moreno Ocampo for doing a shoddy job.

Pkossing drafted a petition that seeks the Assembly of State Parties (ASP) and the United Nations (UN) to advice the International Criminal Court (ICC) on the application of Rule 68 in the case of Deputy President William Ruto and journalist Joshua Arap Sang.

The legislator said that Kenya is ready to move out of the Rome statue if it will not listen to the petition signed by 190 members of Parliament.