ICC witness against Ruto steps down

standardmedia.co.ke

“I am sure you will be aware that should this affidavit be made public in any way and the accusations directed against individuals in the OTP are proven to be false your client might as a result be subjected to criminal and civil liability proceedings,” the letter read in part.

Gicheru explained that the witness had recorded many statements, given many interviews where he was alleged to have said that the 2007-2008 post-election violence in Rift Valley Province was planned, organised  and financed by the Kalenjin community led by people who were arraigned before the International Criminal Court.

The bodies that interviewed him included the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNHCR), the commission of Inquiry into the Post election Violence (CPV) led by Justice Phillip Waki, the Kenya Police, Maina Kiai, Cynthia Tai and other officers from the International Criminal Court.

“I would like to state solemnly and swear that all the allegations that are attributed to me in the said interviews and statements are not true. To the best of my knowledge the 2007-2008 violence was spontaneous and was not planned or financed by anybody in Rift Valley including Henry Kosgei, Joshua Sang and William Ruto,” he said.

He claimed that the interviews and statements that he made were induced by bitterness because of the rivalry between his political party PNU and ODM in his home area, which resulted in great hostility towards him and his family members who were perceived to be PNU supporters.

Confined

He claimed that upon agreeing to be a witness for the International Criminal he left Eldoret town in 2009, stayed in Nairobi under the protection of the Kenya National Commission for Human Rights and the International Medical Legal Unit (IMLU).

The witness claimed that in August 2010, he was flown to Arusha Tanzania by the International Criminal Court where he was confined in a room at the facility which he later learnt belonged to the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR).

After several interviews he was flown to the Netherlands in or about the month of January 2011 Where he stayed in several locations together with his family.

“During my stay in the Netherlands my ID, Passport, photographs and all other documents belonging to me and my family members were confiscated,” he said.

He stated that he received periodic payments from the office of the prosecutor (OTP) whenever they required me to attend to any issue touching on the evidence in that case.

He claims he was flown back to Kenya at his own request on 26th October 2012 and had engaged in deep soul searching and his conscience could no longer allow him to stand by and insist on the truth of matters and statements that are not true.