“The freedom of Hon William Ruto is therefore in the hands of President Uhuru Kenyatta. He is the one with the key to his deputy’s freedom,” Odinga charged.
NAIROBI, Kenya, Oct 12 – Former Prime Minister Raila Odinga has thrown the Jubilee administration into a spin, after declaring he has always been willing to testify for Deputy President William Ruto at the International Criminal Court.
Odinga however said only PNU supporters, President Uhuru Kenyatta and his henchmen hold the key to Ruto’s freedom from the shackles of the ICC.
“The only people who can recant, disclose and withdraw the false testimony against Hon William Ruto are President Uhuru Kenyatta and his PNU brigade. The freedom of Hon William Ruto is therefore in the hands of President Uhuru Kenyatta. He is the one with the key to his deputy’s freedom,” Odinga charged.
Odinga who has been under intense pressure to testify for Ruto asked his rivals to disclose what they advised the witnesses they recruited to have Ruto nailed by The Hague-based court.
“My testimony would equally require that those who coached witnesses disclose what they told the witnesses to say against Hon Ruto to enable me effectively counter the lies in aid of the DP.”
Odinga said if President Kenyatta was committed to saving Ruto from the ICC, he should direct Gatundu South MP Moses Kuria, Jubilee Alliance Party chairman, David Murathe, Kamotho Waiganjo and Njenga Mwangi to swear affidavits disclosing the names of witnesses they recruited and the evidence they advised them to give, to fix Ruto.
He said such information would be imperative to assist those willing to testify for Ruto an idea of what to say.
Odinga further asked President Kenyatta to direct former Intelligence chief Michael Gichangi and Principal Secretary Mutea Iringo to also swear affidavits explaining the kind of evidence they submitted to the ICC for them to know that Ruto will succeed in the motion of no-case-to-answer.
Odinga’s request includes asking the National Intelligence Service to ‘immediately recant and withdraw the confidential exhibits 19 and 19 A of the Waki Report which contains the evidence incriminating Hon. William Ruto in the Pre-Election violence of 2007/2008.’
If President Kenyatta does not honour the three requests made, Odinga said; “then we must conclude that he and his PNU brigade are playing a very cruel and callous game against Hon William Ruto.”
Odinga in February this year again said he was ready to testify for Ruto.
READ: Raila ‘willing to testify’ in Ruto ICC case
He has insisted that Ruto was a key Orange Democratic Movement official and even represented the party during the mediation talks that negotiated the coalition government between Odinga and former President Mwai Kibaki following the 2008 PEV.
He has also maintained that Ruto was a victim since his region was the most affected during the violence.
READ: Raila: Uhuru’s people fixed Ruto, ask him the questions
On Monday, Odinga raised eyebrows over why Jubilee supporters had turned down his offer to testify for Ruto.
In his view, they probably knew something about who fixed Ruto and are not determined to save him that’s why they have been advising his legal teams not to accept his testimony for Ruto.
“Ever since I made that offer, I have been publicly and privately told by persons claiming to stand with Hon William Ruto that my testimony is not needed. In fact, Hon Ruto and his legal team have been publicly beseeched by the same Jubilee politicians challenging me today to testify, not to accept any help from me,” he said.
“This makes the renewed urgent call for me to testify even more curious and disturbing. Something seems to be afoot and only this Jubilee brigade seems to know it.”
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