Uhuru Kenyatta arrived at JKIA early Tuesday morning for a first class business KQ flight to the Netherlands ahead of his ICC trial status conference scheduled for Wednesday.
Kenyatta arrived at the airport at 8.30am accompanied by his wife Margaret Kenyatta and their daughter Ngina.
He did not have his regular security detail but had a few bodyguards according to sources within the travelling party.
Kenyatta additionally used the regular VIP lounge and not the presidential lounge reserved for the president at the airport.
The Kenyan president, Uhuru Kenyatta, has temporarily stepped down as president while attending a hearing at the international criminal court this week, he said in a national address on Monday.
Kenyatta faces charges of crimes against humanity at the ICC, which is based at The Hague, Netherlands, over allegations that he helped instigate violence that followed Kenya’s December 2007 presidential election, when more than 1,000 people were killed.
The court ordered him to attend a status hearing on Wednesday, denying his request that he participate by video. The hearing will be the first time a sitting president has attended an ICC session, a milestone Kenyatta’s political supporters have urged him to avoid.
Seeking to bypass that notation in history, the president said on Monday that he would invoke a hitherto unused article of the constitution that will see the deputy president, William Ruto, temporarily become president.
The short-term abdication is Kenyatta’s way of fulfilling the court order while insisting that he is attending the hearing as a private citizen.
In his speech, Kenyatta maintained his innocence, noted that the ICC prosecutor had been admonished by the court for her faltering case and recalled that the African Union had passed a resolution granting immunity from international tribunals for sitting presidents.
Kenyatta also claimed that Africa’s “century of exploitation and domination” by the west was continuing. Critics of the ICC note that it has only prosecuted Africans.
Lastly, Kenyatta said the accusations he faced occurred before he became president.
“It is for this reason that I chose not to put the sovereignty of more than 40 million Kenyans on trial since their democratic will should never be subject to another jurisdiction,” Kenyatta said.
“Therefore let it not be said that I am attending the status conference as the president of Kenya,” he continued. “Nothing in my position or my deeds as president warrants my being in court.”
George Kegoro, executive director of the Kenyan chapter of the International Commission of Jurists, praised the president for following the rule of law. If Kenyatta had refused to go, he risked an international arrest warrant and international condemnation or economic sanctions against Kenya.
“If he had refused it would have destroyed our economy. The economy would not have recovered during his tenure,” said Gitobu Imanyara, a lawyer and former legislator.
The case against Kenyatta appears to be collapsing as witnesses refuse to testify or recant their statements. A once-rocky relationship with the US and Europe also seems to be improving.
Kenyatta, Ruto and Joshua arap Sang, a Kenyan radio presenter, all face charges of crimes against humanity before the ICC for inciting massive violence following the 2007 election. That violence – often ethnically motivated – killed more than 1,000 people and uprooted 600,000 from their homes.
Kenyatta has appeared before the court before but was not president at the time.
Kenyatta and Ruto, who were on opposing sides of the 2007-08 conflict, formed a political alliance that won the presidency and a majority in parliament after they were indicted for the crimes against humanity. They used the ICC charges as a rallying cry of us v the world.
Truth is that if Mwai Kibaki and Raila Odinga agreed to the power sharing government deal hours after the election, all the violence would have been precluded. Uhuru really has nothing to answer for. I really do not see how adults can resort to attack their neighbors.
What’s so strange about that?
we as africans should stop going to this ICC in the hague. it seems its only meant for african leaders. Nanga why hasnt George bush and his wife tony Blair been taken to the hague also for the war crimes against the people of Iraq.
@Nubian Princess- Please shut up Sharon.
ICC is like zambia where real thieves are freed and only simple cases like mpombo and masumba are seriously considered.
You think forging documents or stealing public funds by a govt official is a simple case right? Does that speak volume of our culture with useless sayings such as “wiboma mwibala…” or “natolele fye” or “mulekeni alileko”. It’s the “simple cases” than has turned us into simple minds such that everyone who has access to govt property steals. Alas we are now a simple poor country headed to hell.
ICC why not give Sata a call as well
Uhuru’s style of leadership is very encouraging for the Africa continent. I admire this man’s desire for rule of law. Its a pity that our so called young politicians cannot emulate such examples but are always insulting or wiping up tribal emotions.
Africans and their love for power, he should never have been president in the first place before clearing his name, what more when he is a suspect with blood on his hands.
Who is charging Uhuru of those offences? If it is the Kenyans why not in their country and why didn’t they act before he became president? Just because the west tell us that he did those we should all believe. Right now Uhuru seems to be doing better than most African leaders. Btw London Eye why have you failed to take Tony Blair to the ICC when over 80% of the British think he ought to be charged with genocide? Chiwamila ngalu ka?
@Kasonkomona,4.
We just need such brilliant and young president like Kenyatta. I like the guy even the way he dresses talks much of he is.
We need such youngmen to take leadership in Africa.
Glencor, Vedanta, among other investors creating havoc in poor countries are good candidates to be the first European companies ICC can put on trial.
They have for many years, stolen, defrauded African gov’ts out of much needed Revenue. They have caused real human right crimes against poor of the world.
Starving babies, children dying from lack of medical services, list goes on!
And of course European Heads of State that have facilitated this to happen on their soil.
uhuru kenyatta if you are clean man you come back to country.i wish you all the best.
Rich Uhuru because his father stole all the coastal land while Kenyans were all asleep and now villagers cannot even herd their cattle in this land. In comparison to Jomo, KK was a real saint.
Blood thirsty Raila Odinga should be the one heading to Hague.He fanned the violence and killings in order to achieve the presidency thru popular revolt,he was involved in a bloody coup in ’82 and he has never accepted 3 fair election defeats.
I know who is better between Kenyatta,kibaki and Odinga.The latter can never be trusted and he’s blood on his hands.
Keep Kenya safe. The Pride of Africa.
If we are the ones who traded in humans (Slavery), That world would have given us untold treatment. AFRICA; UNITE.