Deputy President William Ruto has written to the International Criminal Court (ICC) among other global players complaining over insecurity at political rallies ahead of the August 2022 elections.
In a letter dated Monday, January 17, written by UDA Secretary General and copied to Kenya’s President Uhuru Kenyatta and Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) chair Wafula Chebukati, the deputy president demanded equal protection and assurance of safety to all political players.
“We write to express our profound concerns about recent deeply worrying security incidents, sustained by official inaction … in the light of the impending General Election, and national stability in general,” read the letter.
According to the deputy president’s August 2022 presidential contest party, more than ten criminal incidents of violent disruption have taken place and at least 6 have been brought to the attention of the Inspector General of the National Police Service but no action has been taken.
“This negligence on their part is not only dismaying to all law-abiding Kenyans and disappointing to the UDA fraternity but also explicitly signals the State’s approval or support for the criminal acts of ethnicity and political violence conducted,” the letter went on.
The letter is copied to the Director of National Intelligence Service, Director of Public Prosecution, Chair of African Union Chairperson, European Union Delegation, USA Ambassador and British High Commission
The latter comes barely days after rowdy youths temporarily interrupted William Ruto’s rally at Jacaranda ground on Sunday, January 16, 2022.
The rowdy goons were recorded chanting ‘ODM’, ‘Raila’and ‘Azimio’ slogans as the deputy president delivered his speech.
Ruto in the letter said that is ODM’s ‘bedroom policy’ of using violence to ring-fence parts of the country as no-go-zones for other political parties.
This comes at a time when the deputy president is facing up to a 5-year jail term at the ICC in The Hague.
In November 2021, ICC deputy prosecutor James Stewart said William Ruto directly influenced witnesses that corrupted his case of crimes against humanity.
“The witness evidence establishes that the pattern of witness interference was conducted for the benefit of, and in coordination with William Samoei Ruto,” reads the brief.
