NAIROBI,KENYA: Members of parliament (MPs) have told off former UN Secretary General Koffi Annan over his warning to Kenya not to pull out of ICC.
The MPs, in outburst, accused Annan whom they termed a foreign in the African continent of being behind the woes facing leaders who are currently facing trial at the ICC.
“Annan is the initiator and owner of the ICC project from the onset. The Rome statute was signed in 1998 when he was the UN Secretary General and it is him who handed over the list to the ICC,” Leader of majority Aden Duale said.
He told journalists at parliaments buildings that; “What he began as a Secretary General is what he came to implement here.”
“It’s no surprise that Koffi Annan is sentimental about ICC. First he took Kenya to the court after holding on to the envelop whose contents only a select few knew. Two, the court was set up during his tenure as secretary general of the UN.”
Over 20 MPs mainly from Jubilee alliance flanked Duale at the press conference in parliament that was attended by two Cord MPS; Victor Munyaka and Joseph Nkaissery.
The MPs, who accused ICC of only targeting Africans, also dismissed Annan just like Foreign Affairs Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohamed who said Annan is not even a citizen of the continent.
“He (Annan) left his home country of Ghana 35 years ago. Annan is only black in skin colour but European in his heart,” Duale said in reference to the former UN boss who helped mid wife Kenya’s signing to the national Accord during the 2007/08 post-election violence that helped in ending up wanton killings and restore peace to the country.
He however, was non-committal on whether President Uhuru Kenyatta will travel to ICC or not saying; “ask me that question on the 11th of November.” The criminal trial against Uhuru is expected to begin on the 12th of November.
During the meeting, the MPs vowed to push on with a bill that seeks to repeal the international crimes act, to end the country’s pact with ICC.
“The pact with ICC is not a pact with God but it was done by men and women and there is nothing that will prevent us from passing the law in the house, Duale said adding that the bill will be tabled in the house within a fortnight from Thursday.-standardmedia.co.ke