Category Archives: Kenya

Lawyers for Kenya’s President-elect Uhuru Kenyatta have urged the International Criminal Court to drop charges against him.  He denies accusations of instigating violence after the disputed 2007 poll.The special hearing came a week after charges against his co-accused, Francis Muthaura, were dramatically dropped. Mr Kenyatta’s lawyers argue charges against him are now compromised but the ICC prosecutor has said she has additional evidence against him. The trial of Mr Kenyatta, who narrowly passed the 50% threshold to win elections earlier this month, is scheduled to start in July. In the aftermath of the election in December 2007 – when Raila Odinga narrowly lost to incumbent President Mwai Kibaki – more … Continue reading →

Strongholds of defeated presidential candidate Raila Odinga were peaceful on Sunday, apparently reflecting a desire by Kenyans to avoid a repeat of the bloodshed that followed the last election five years ago. Odinga has refused to concede the election to rival Uhuru Kenyatta, but said he would challenge the result in the courts and urged his supporters to refrain from the violence that convulsed Kenya when he lost the disputed vote of 2007. A smooth handover of power this time around is seen as critical to restoring Kenya’s reputation as a stable democracy and safe investment destination – an image that was shattered by the mayhem that followed the last … Continue reading →

International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutors say they do not object to delaying the trials of four prominent Kenyans charged with fuelling violence. One of the suspects, Deputy Prime Minister Uhuru Kenyatta, is contesting next week’s presidential elections. The ICC trials, over violence that broke out after the disputed 2007 election, was due to start in April. But defence lawyers complained that they had not been given enough time to prepare for the cases. ICC spokesman Fadi El Abdallah said judges had not yet decided whether to delay the trials, the Associated Press news agency reports. But the prosecutors’ comment, in written filings posted on the ICC website, makes it likely … Continue reading →

Kenyan presidential candidate Uhuru Kenyatta has asked for his trial on crimes against humanity charges to be delayed to allow time to prepare his defense given prosecutors’ late disclosure of evidence, his lawyers said on Thursday. Kenyatta, a former Finance Minister, is accused at the International Criminal Court (ICC) of orchestrating bloody clashes in which 1,200 people died and thousands were uprooted from their homes after disputed elections in December 2007. While his lawyers said a trial delay was needed to let them respond to evidence disclosed at the last minute by prosecutors, many analysts say Kenyatta would benefit if the trial were postponed until well after the March 4 … Continue reading →

Kenyan legislators have tripled their end-of-term bonuses once again, sweetening the deal with extra perks like diplomatic passports and security for life as well as state funerals when they die. The lawmakers first attempted to triple the bonus they will each receive when their five-year term ends this month to 9.3 million shillings (66,464 pounds) in October, a move the president rejected. But in a final act before parliament closes ahead of elections on March 4, legislators passed two bills awarding themselves the bonuses, at a late-night sitting on Wednesday. They also demanded diplomatic passports for themselves and their spouses, long-life security paid for by taxpayers, as well as the … Continue reading →