NAIROBI, Kenya, Dec 24 – Majority of Kenyans is satisfied with the ICC process and wants the six perpetrators named by Prosecutor Luis Moreno Ocampo tried at The Hague, according to a new poll.
Only 18 per cent of those interviewed by Synovate Research firm said that Kenyan courts should try the suspects named as baring the greatest responsibility in organizing or financing the deadly post-poll chaos in 2007/08.
"Sixty per cent of the respondents said that they prefer The Hague process if justice is to be attained," Synovate analyst Tom Wolf said when he released the results on Friday.
The research carried out last week revealed that some 14 per cent of those interviewed prefer amnesty for those named as masterminds of the chaos that claimed the lives of 1500 people and displaced half a million others.
"Nine per cent of the people we interviewed are of the opinion that those who bungled the 2007 elections should also face justice," said Mr Wolf .
He said they sampled 2011 respondents using an electronic semi-structured questionnaire with both open and closed-ended questions.
The survey questions were structured so as to allow for a broad range of opinion-options, including "no opinion."
This, Mr Wolf said, eliminates bias in the way the questions are asked, and responses captured.
Mr Wolf told reporters that they used the Computer Assisted Telegraphic Interview (CATI) to get answers from the respondents both in urban and rural areas.
"During the interview process, those who were not reached at the first attempt (either because the number was busy or the call did not go through), automatic appointments/call backs were programmed by the CATI software," he explained.
"In the event that no contact was made after 5 attempts on different days and times, this number was substituted," Wolf said of the poll conducted between December 17-23.
Awareness
Synovate said it sought to know from Kenyans if they were aware of the six suspects named as most responsible for the 2007 poll chaos as revealed by Mr Ocampo on December 15.
The suspects named by Mr Ocampo include Suspended Higher Education Minister William Ruto, Finance Minister Uhuru Kenyatta, Industrialisation Minister Henry Kosgey, Head of the civil service Francis Muthaura, former Police chief Hussein Ali and KASS FM presenter Joshua arap Sang.
Of these, 86 per cent of Kenyans are aware that he was named by Mr Ocampo, 81 per cent are also aware that Mr Uhuru was named while 56 per cent said they are aware Mr Kosgey was named.
Fifty three per cent said they were also aware that Mr Muthaura is among the suspects while 50 per cent said they knew that Mr Sang had been named as well as 51 per cent who were able to recall that the former police commissioner Ali is in the ICC list.
In Nairobi, 36 per cent of those sampled were able to name one or all of the suspects while four per cent said they had no idea.
Thirty three per cent in Rift Valley were also able to name some or all the suspects while 4 per cent could not as compared to Central Province where 27 per cent managed to name some or all the ICC suspects.
Prosecution
Mr Wolf said 42 per cent were highly certain that those named would be prosecuted or convicted while 32 per cent could only indicate a possibility.
Seventeen per cent said it is very unlikely that those named will be prosecuted or convicted. Nine per cent could not give any opinion.
Parliament on Wednesday passed a motion seeking Kenya\’s withdrawal from the Rome Statute.
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