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Vol 55 No 20

Published 10th October 2014


Kenya

Drama in court

Some 140 members of parliament turned President Uhuru Kenyatta's first appearance at the International Criminal Court on 8 October into something of a circus. Nairobi Senator Mike Mbuvi Kioko (known as Sonko, Kiswahili for Mr Moneybags), a key Kenyatta ally and ex-convict, played cheerleader-in-chief. The MPs' behaviour was reminiscent of parodies of politicians on satirical shows on Kenyan independent television channels. Inside the Court, what was billed as a status conference proved more sobering for Kenyatta than many had expected. The ICC had summoned the parties in order to make a determination on whether to continue with the case or, as Kenyatta's lawyers are demanding, to terminate the case and issue a 'not guilty' verdict. That would permanently excuse Kenyatta from the Court and prevent the Prosecutor from reopening his case at a later date.

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