The Resurrection of the ICC Ghost

The 2017 General Elections in Kenya are just around the corner, less that a year away and already, politicians have perfected on what they know best; propaganda.

During the 2013 General Elections, the International Criminal Court (ICC) dominated all the campaigns. The current administration, Jubilee, used the court to win ‘sympathy’ votes by convincing their supporters that Raila Odinga, Former Prime Ministers had taken them, Uhuru Kenyatta and William Ruto, to tried at the ICC.

What followed after Jubilee won the election was the country being held at ransom for close to four years as the cases went. The ICC issues died when the court pardoned both the President and his Deputy and Kenyans sighed a sigh of relief and knew that their leaders will no longer have to worry about court cases in a foreign land but focus on developments.

2017 is coming and the ICC ghost has risen from the grave. It has been retrieved from the archives and now every politician is waging his tongue about it. It started during the 53rd Jamhuri Celebrations at Nyayo National Stadium when President Uhuru Kenyatta said that Kenya was still considering her membership at the Haque-based court.

Opposition chief Raila Odinga countered the sentiments saying that Kenya will remain at the ICC whether the Jubilee brigade likes it or not. “Kenya itabaki ICC Jubilee wapende wasipende,” he said in Swahili.

In a rejoinder, Jubilee Members of Parliament led by Leader of Majority in the National Assembly Adden Duale, called a press conference to counter what Raila had said especially on whe he (Raila) said that the President and his Deputy were supposed to thank the ICC for not jailing them and for letting them contest with their cases still going on.

As it is now, the ICC ghost has risen and is freely being spread through the mouths of propagandist politicians she are busy planning to use it to sway the minds of gullible Kenyans. Will Kenyans once again be made to vote in the next elections based not on policies and performance but on issues to do with the ICC?

President Uhuru Kenyatta also, blamed some unnamed foreign powers for plotting to influence regime change in the country by use of money coated with ‘civic education’, a matter that has also left tongues waging.

The opposition has come out, guns blazing defending foreign powers saying that the Jubilee camp was in a ‘panic mode,’ and that the allegations were wild and imaginary.

Already there are signs of the next general elections being chaotic as the opposition has vowed that they will not accept the outcome of an election that will not be fair and transparent.

Political party nominations have already started witnessing chaos even before they start with the Jubilee nomination of regional leaders being marred with violence in several counties.

Are the drums of war already beating but as Kenyans instead of mourning we are dancing to the tune?

Related: CORD and Jubilee, Who is Fooling Who?