News Analysis By Leo Odera Omolo In Kisumu City.
Panicking HAS gripped the North Rift part of the expansive Rift Valley Province of Kenya following disclosure last week that the ICC prosecutor Luis Moreno Ocampo has started flying out potential witnesses to safe, but undisclosed locations in Europe.
While visiting Kenya last May Mr.Ocampo had hinted he would appear before the pre-trial judges chamber at the Hague by October to request them to issue five or six warrants of arrests he intend to prosecute in connection with the post-election violence offence in 2008.
Ocampo is reported to be in the final stages of completing and compiling his investigations report against key suspect behind the post-election violence that killed more than 1300 Kenyans and displaced close to 500,000.
It is no longer secret that the ICC has in the past two weeks been flying out potential witnesses and their families. The potential witnesses being flown out are those who would be require to testify against the yet still unnamed n politicians including cabinet Ministers suspected of involvement in the post election violence of 2008 that followed December 2007 botched presidential electrons.
Speculations and rumors making the round within the capital, City Nairobi and its environs says the ICC has so far flown out close to ten potential violence witnesses, and that the first of these people left the country two weeks ago.
Four of those flown out of the country are said to have been members of the constituents of a powerful cabinet minister in the grand coalition government who appears likely to be among the first post-election violence to face charges at The Hague.
A local daily reported in its front page bold article that the ICC has began flying out the key witnesses who will testify against five leaders suspected of involvement. The Nairobi STAR only fell short of naming the witnesses.
Two of the key witnesses along with their families were reported to have left Kenya two weeks go and headed for undisclosed location in Europe for their own safety and that of their families.
Speculation is also high that the ICC is likely go charge two still ye to be named government Ministers and a senior police officer with offense of inciting people to violence.
The six witnesses who were flown out of the country last week were first secretly taken to a neighboring country from where hey and their families’ boarded planes destined to unknown locations in Europe.
According to an impeccable source, the Minister’s next door neighbor was flown accompanied by his two wives and six children.
Investigations into to the polls vi0lence are said to have zeroed in on three areas, including the Kiambaa Church arson in which close to 39 people including children perished in the inferno. This particular incident took place in the outskirt of the North Rift town of Eldoret. The other area is the revenge attack in Naivasha, a small farming town, which is located 90 kilometers west of the capital, Nairobi and the police shooting to death rioters in Nairobi, Kisumu, Nakuru, Kericho and Eldoret towns.
The key potential witnesses flow out so far are said to have incriminating evidence against the two powerful Ministers who may be charged with helping to organize the violence, which almost set Kenya ablaze in early 2008.
Other report making the round says several Western European countries have offered to give asylum and provide protection to 30 prosecution witnesses and up to additional 70 of their dependants or family members.
An official working with an NGO in the North Rift region where most of the violence occurred has also been flown out of the country with his family after his life was threatened.”The threat to my life and family become so intense to an extent that I had no choice, but requested for protection and that is why I am going out,” he said during an exclusive interview with this writer before departure for Nairobi where he cough up with Europe destined flight last week.
Other reports say some the potential witnesses have quit jobs to relocate to safe havens where the ICC has identified. In one instance, three top officials from the public hospital that handled many victi9ms of the post-election violence recently resigned from their positions without giving an explanation to the hospital administrator.
The ICC investigators have been in the country for more than two months and after interrogating the witnesses find they had tangible evidence which qualified them for protection. Two of these witnesses had also testified before the Waki Commission and before the Kenya National for Human Rights.
Ocampo has promised that by December this year he will have tight cases against the suspect that by then the investigations would have been complete.THESE WITNESSES ARE SAID TO HAVE TRAVELLED SEPARATELY AND DID NOT KNEW EACH OTHER,THOUGH THEY WERE AT THE Jomo Kenyatta International Airport at the same time, and some might have boarded the same planes.
It is widely reported that the Administration Police College Commander Oku Kaunya, who is said to be also a key ICC witness. He left the country in April under mysterious circumstances, reportedly with the help of the US Embassy. Apo used their training college and recruits against the December 2007 general election. Thereafter Mr Kaunya was transferred to the provincial Administration office and posted as the Deputy P.C.
Ends
leoodereaomolo@yahoo.com