Nairobi — The International Criminal Court has begun preparations for trials on Kenya's post election violence as efforts towards a local tribunal are frustrated by political wrangles.
The ICC has engaged as consultants two foreign members of the Commission of Inquiry into Post-Election violence chaired by Justice Philip Waki; and also hired from Kenya a dozen Kiswahili translators to help potential witnesses.
Justice and Constitutional Affairs minister Mutula Kilonzo also revealed on Thursday that The Hague had recruited a number of the investigators who worked with the Waki Commission.
Secret list
It was the Waki Commission that recommended the ICC step in if Kenya was unable to establish a credible special tribunal to try ringleaders of the violence.
The commission also gave former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, chief mediator in the Kenya conflict, a sealed envelope containing names of key suspects recommended for further investigation and possible trial.
The secret list was to be handed over to the ICC if the Kenya government proved unable or unwilling to set up a local special Tribunal that met international standards for the investigation of serious crimes such as genocide, crimes against humanity, mass murder.
Mr Annan eventually handed over the sealed envelope to ICC chief prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo after a government delegation to Geneva and The Hague failed to make a case for more time.
"ICC has hired investigators used by Waki and Swahili translators in preparation for the prosecutions in Kenya," Mr Kilonzo said during a media workshop on the international crimes in Nairobi on Thursday.
"As far as I am concerned the Cabinet's decision precipitated" the move by Mr Ocampo, he told the workshop organised by the Kenyan chapter of the International Commission of Jurists, the Institute for Security Studies (ISS) and Peace Pen Communications.
Mr Kilonzo linked the move by Mr Ocampo on failure by the Cabinet last month to endorse two Bills that were meant to establish the special tribunal. In March, Parliament rejected similar Bills that were tabled by then Justice minister Martha Karua.
Just this week, a similar Bill sponsored by MP Gitobu Imanyara was published. It has won support from some key ministers, including Mr Kilonzo and Prime Minister Raila Odinga, but has not secured official endorsement of the government.
Leaders
The ICC has closely following events in Kenya since the disputed 2007 elections that led to more than 1,300 killed, and 600,000 forced out of their homes.
Topping the list of suspected masterminds behind the carnage are senior ministers in the coalition government, assistant ministers, MPs and other prominent leaders.
It has listed Kenya, alongside Afghanistan, Colombia, Cote d'Ivoire and Palestine among states it is monitoring on it's calendar for 2009 and 2010.
"Key challenges in the coming year will include the requirement to provide live transcripts in both French and English, quality interpretation including in Kiswahili, Lingala and Arabic," states the ICC website.
On Thursday, Mr Kilonzo said the efforts by Imenti Central MP Imanyara to establish the local tribunal may not meet the deadline that the government delegation agreed with Mr Moreno-Ocampo in early July to stave off the Hague option.
The delegation, which was composed of Ministers Kilonzo, James Orengo and Attorney General Amos Wako agreed that should the government fail to pass laws establishing the local tribunal by end of September, it would hand over the case to The Hague.
The efforts were defeated on July 20 when the cabinet rejected the draft Bills by Mr Kilonzo and instead chose the High Court and the Truth, Justice and Reconciliation Commission to try the suspects.
However, the Justice minister stated categorically that the mandate of the TJRC cannot be expanded to handle post-election violence.
"I hope the Imanyara bill has addressed the issue and that Parliament will pass it. If the Bill fails it will mean neither Parliament, nor executive nor the judiciary will be available for purposes of trying international crime committed during the violence," he said.
Mr Kilonzo said the ICC only had 18 prosecutors and that it could only handle a few suspects from Kenya. "That is the reason why some Kenyans think the Hague is the best. The ICC can even take 30 years down the line," said.
He warned that failure to establish a local tribunal sends the message that "you can kill but nothing will happen to you." He gave an example of the assassinations of Dr Robert Ouko and Mr J.M Kariuki, as killings that "can just occur, the media let to report for two weeks then we wait for the anniversary."
He also said the ICC option will be an indictment of Parliament and the Judiciary.
A group in the government feared they could be on the Waki list and did not want local trials which are faster and can attract many witnesses.
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Mass Murderer Joseph Stalin , Who Was Behind The Robbing And Murdering Of
Millions Of Russians, Is Famous For The Following Quote :
Its Not Who Votes That Counts , Its Who Counts The Votes .
Heres Another Quote Take Precautions That No One Trick You - - [ Paraphrased From Matthew 24:4 / A Jesus Christ Quote ]
There Are Certain People That Society Tend To Drop Their Guard On And
Automatically Trust . Here Are Some Of Those People That We Tend To TURN A
BLIND EYE TO : Politicians, Doctors, Lawyers, Religious Ministers,
Close Relatives , Teachers, Sports Coaches, Celebrities , etc
GHANA And Other Countries Are Being Infiltrated By Wolves In Sheeps Clothing .
They Pose As One Thing , While They Are Actually Trying To Continue What The
Portuguese Started Around The 1440s ; When They Took Some Gold Coast Residents To
Portugal Starting African Slavery In Europe.
This Electronic Voting Scheme Will Allow The Wicked To Control Who Gets
Into Positions Of Power Where They Can Conduct The Movements Of Society
Deceptively. America (Babylon) Has A Recent History Of Deception Using This
Electronic Voting In A Wicked Way.
There Are Two(2) Ways We Can Go With This Electronic Voting Situation :
1) Allow Electronic Voting Where Every Person Who Votes Gets A Time & Place
Stamp Showing The Time & Location They Voted At , Also With The Voters Name &
Address On It And A Complete Record Of Who They Voted For. In Effect Each Voter
Would Receive A VOTERS RECEIPT : Accounting For Every Detail Of Their Voting.
A) The Citizens Themselves Would Voluntarily Count The Votes.. Persons Counting The Votes Would Not Get Paid. Also Different Persons Would Alternate In Counting The Votes. Their Names Would Be Drawn From A Pool Of Registered Voters ; Much Like Jury Duty Is Assigned. The Persons Selected Would Have To Agree To Volunteer Their Time. Some May Not Be Able To Accept Their Civic Duty At The Time. So Their Name Would Be Thrown Back Into The Available Pool Of Registered Citizens.
2) Not Allowing Electronic Vote Counting. And Implementing The Alternating Citizens Vote Counting Scheme (Mentioned In Section 1-A Above).
3) A Volunteer Watch Committee Of Citizens Would Give Quarterly Reports On Elected
Officials . It Would Also Be Good To Establish Type Of Voting Regulations That :
A) Allowed For Replacement Of Elected Officials Who Become Unsavory To The Masses Because Of Their Lack Of performance In Their Elected Office.
B) Also A Law That Doesnt Allow Politicians To Make A Career Out Of Public Service. If They Want To Spend Their Life Helping People, Their Ingenuity, With Gods Help, Will Direct Their Paths.
C) Any Kind Of Political Office By Election Or Appointment Should Never Be Any Real Citizens Permanent Office. We All Should be Doing What God Made Us To Do ; Each Can Find Their Own Way.
4) Citizens Must Become More Proactive And GIVE OUR RE PRESENTATIVES
AGENDAS TO PRESENT FOR US. Heres How It Works :
A) The Citizens PRESENT AGENDAS TO OUR ELECTED & APPOINTED OFFICIALS.
B) Our ELECTED & APPOINTED OFFICIALS Re-PRESENT The Agendas Of The Citizens To The Other Elected & Appointed Representatives.
C) What Happens When No Citizens Present Agendas To Elected & Appointed Officials ? Nothing Good. Our Representatives Are Often Approached By Lobbyists. Many Of These Lobbyists Are Paid By Special Interest Groups To Present Agendas Of Special Interest Groups To Them.
D) Citizens Need To Have A Revolving Committee Of Volunteer Think Tanks & Lobbyists Who Will Take Turns Working On And Presenting The Citizens Agenda To Our Elected & Appointed Agendas.
E) From A Christian Perspective , I Believe That The Spiritually Wicked Jailed In Hell Are Always Spiritually-Lobbying Those Who Are Deceived Among Man (Ephesians 6:12). So We Must Also Lobby God Our Mankinds Behalf ; As Spirituall Lobbyists.
AS JESUS CHRIST SAID SO OFTEN : WATCH AND PRAY !!!!!!!!
5) CHECK OUT [ http://www.blackboxvoting.org/ ] FOR CURRENT STORIES ON
ELECTRONIC VOTING FRAUD.
OUR DEEPEST FEAR By Marianne Williamson
Our Deepest Fear Is Not That We Are Inadequate, Our Deepest Fear Is That We Are Powerful Beyond Measure. It Is Our Light , Not Our Darkness That Most Frightens Us.
We Ask Ourselves, Who Am I To Be Brilliant, Gorgeous, Talented, And Fabulous ?
Actually Who Are We Not To Be ? You Are A Child Of God.
Your Playing Small Doesnt Serve The World.
There Is Nothing Enlightened About Shrinking So That Other People Wont Feel Insecure Around You.
We Are All Meant To Shine, As Children Do.
We Were Born To Make Manifest The Glory Of God That Is Within Us.
Its Not Just In Some Of Us; Its In Everyone.
And When We Let Our Own Light Shine We Unconsciously Give Other People Permission To Do The Same.
And As We Are Liberated From Our Own Fear, Our Presence Automatically Liberates Others
[NOTE BEING AFRAID AND REFUSING TO GET INVOLVED WONT STOP US FROM DYING. BUT BEING AFRAID CAN PREVENT US FROM LIVING]
(Nkosi Sikeleli Africa )
God bless Africa May her glory be lifted high Hear our petitions .
God bless us, Your children God we ask You to protect our nation Intervene and end all conflicts Protect us, protect our nation, our nation.
From the blue of our heaven, From the depths of our sea, Over our eternal mountain ranges, Where the cliffs give answer.
Sounds the call to come together, And united we shall stand, Let us live and strive for freedom, In South Africa our land.
[Enoch Mankayi Sontonga]
WAKE UP ! STAY UP MY BROTHERS & SISTERS ! BE SELF-SUFFICIENT IN THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN.
[http://www.infowars.com/infowars.asx] / [gcnlive.com] / [http://alexjonesringtones.net/]
- Life Is a Game. Have Fun. [ Luke 18:17 / Isaiah 11:6 ]