THE AFRICAN UNION is expected to announce on Monday that it would prefer to see Kenya handle its own
legal affairs rather than let the International Criminal Court prosecute the country’s president on charges of crimes against humanity.
President Uhuru Kenyatta, his deputy, William Ruto, and two others were accused of organising post-election violence in late 2007 that left more than 1,000 people dead and displaced hundreds of thousands in ethnic attacks.
Their trials are expected to start this year in the Netherlands with growing criticism of the International Criminal Court’s decisions concerning Africa.
The Union has criticized The Hague-based court in the past for pushing genocide charges against Sudan President Omar al-Bashir. The feeling within the Union is that the arrest warrant would not help end the conflict in Darfur.
While African leaders just a decade ago were amongst the court’s most ardent supporters, their position has changed because the only arrest warrants issued by the court so far have been for African leaders.
The AU is holding a summit in Addis Ababa and celebrating 50 years since the founding of its predecessor, the Organiszation for African Unity.