{UAH} Pojim/WBK: Witness tampering and jabbering over nothing - Comment

http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/OpEd/comment/Witness-tampering-and-jabbering-over-nothing-/-/434750/2907618/-/h8nwuw/-/index.html

Witness tampering and jabbering over nothing

By L. Muthoni Wanyeki
Posted  Saturday, October 10  2015 at  15:22

We need to think about how politicians and religious leaders are addressing questions arising from the remaining case before the International Criminal Court, that of Kenya's Deputy President William Ruto.

And how the media — far from showing up the utter childishness of their behaviour — is, in fact, helping them cement a right-wing and wrong-headed understanding of the facts at stake.

The first salvo was a "confession" about witness procurement and witness tampering by current Gatundu South MP Moses Kuria at a time when he was a PNU "operative."

The response being a defamation and libel case by Narc-Kenya leader Martha Karua, whom Kutia had named as being involved in witness tampering — which unfortunately dignified the first salvo with a response.

The second salvo was yet another accusation about witness procurement and witness tampering, this time by opposition leader Raila Odinga against President Uhuru Kenyatta, accusing him of being part of the plot to "fix" Ruto at the ICC.

The third salvo was the ensuing chorus of demands that all those accused present themselves before the police and the Director of Public Prosecutions to explain themselves. A case created out of nothing but public jabbering not befitting of anybody in public office.

Let us be clear. Those on opposite sides of the political divide in 2008 did not have the same understanding of the post-election violence.

For one dominant side, the violence committed against those deemed to be their supporters was paramount — framed, of course, in ethnic rather than political terms. For the subordinate side, the violence committed by the security services and the so-called revenge attacks against those deemed to be their supporters was paramount — equally framed in ethnic terms.

That dialogue of the deaf continued into the Grand Coalition Government. It is absolutely no surprise that the co-operation required by the ICC was forthcoming in respect of the dominant understanding of the violence and non-forthcoming in respect of the other.

If anybody "framed" anybody, it was because we all collectively refused to accept that organising the mass displacement and murder of anybody, regardless of assumed political affiliation, is and will always be a crime.

Today, of course, political alliances have shifted. The erstwhile dominant side finds itself needing to pander to the demands of one side of the erstwhile subordinate.

Needing to extricate itself from the co-operation it so glibly and self-righteously proffered to the ICC during the days of the Grand Coalition.

Scapegoats must be found. Found they have been. From members of the erstwhile dominant who've now dropped out. To the leadership of the erstwhile subordinate.

It is so transparent it is hard to understand how this cacophony has been allowed by the media to play out as long as it has.

A court case is a court case is a court case. It will proceed as it will. Evidence will be weighed, charges proved or disproved. That will be the end of the story — which we will all have to live with.

L. Muthoni Wanyeki is Amnesty International's regional director for East Africa, the Horn and the Great Lakes

Witness tampering and jabbering over nothing - Comment

http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/OpEd/comment/Witness-tampering-and-jabbering-over-nothing-/-/434750/2907618/-/h8nwuw/-/index.html

Sent from my BlackBerry 10 smartphone.