Constitutional expert weighs on Raila’s ICC case against IG Koome
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Constitutional expert Charles Kanjama terms Raila's ICC case against IG Koome as scaremongering, and unsubstantive
Constitutional expert Charles Kanjama terms Raila’s ICC case against IG Koome as scaremongering, and unsubstantive.
Charles Kanjama, a city lawyer and Advocate of the High Court of Kenya, on Tuesday, April 18 commented on Azimio’s quest for the International Criminal Court (ICC) to look into and perhaps prosecute Inspector General of Police Japhet Koome.
According to Kanjama, the coalition led by Raila Odinga was merely scaremongering and not necessarily making a serious argument.
The Lawyer said that neither an investigation nor a trial would result from Azimio la Umoja’s letter to the ICC.
“What is happening is more of hot air than a reality. It is more of political posturing,” Kanjama explained.
In his assessment, Kanjama noted that Azimio la Umoja was taking advantage of the ICC’s terrifying reputation to force their way through the local legal minefield.
Notably, Azimio la Umoja was also calling the attention of the International Criminal Court to carry out plausible surveillance on Kenyan activities.
“It is also an attempt to use a big brother to achieve local or domestic goals,” Kanjama claimed.
The Legal expert explained that the International Criminal Court can only intervene where a State is unable or unwilling to genuinely carry out the investigation and prosecute the perpetrators.
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“The primary mission of the International Criminal Court is to help put an end to impunity for the perpetrators of the most serious crimes of concern to the international community as a whole, and thus to contribute to the prevention of such crimes,” Kanjama stated.
Azimio la Umoja had written to ICC to investigate political situation in Kenya over police brutality during the coalition’s weekly demonsytrations.
ICC is also responsible for prosecuting crimes that were committed by nationals after the entry into force of the Rome Statute on 1 July 2002.
“The International Criminal Court is not a substitute for national courts.
According to the Rome Statute, it is the duty of every State to exercise its criminal jurisdiction over those responsible for international crimes,” Kanjama stated.
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