ICC

Yesterday was an interesting day in Kenya.

After the elections in 2007, violence broke out all over the country. Most people believed the elections results were switched after the man expected to win didn't. Riots and protests took place. As a result, certain tribes were targeted and over 1300 people were killed including 30 women and children who were torched while hiding in a church. 350,000 people were forcibly removed from their homes and many of them still live in IDP (internally displaced persons) camps.

In 2011, the ICC (International Crimes Court) proposed charging six Kenyans with crimes against humanity for the alleged role in the 2007 post election violence. When I first returned to Kenya in September, the ICC were having confirmation hearings to determine if there was enough evidence to proceed with prosecuting these men. These hearings concluded in October and the ICC had three months to deliver a verdict.

Yesterday their decision was announced. There was a lot of anticipation about results. It seemed like half the population would be upset if they were confirmed and half would be upset if they weren't. No one knew if there would be more violence after the announcement.

At 1:30pm, Kenya stood still. Everyone stopped what they were doing and went to a nearby TV or radio to hear what happened. It reminded me of when the OJ Simpson verdict was announced. Four out of the six men were confirmed – meaning the ICC judges found there was enough evidence to proceed with a trial.

Now we waited to see what the public reaction was. Fortunately, there were no problems yesterday. I think most people agreed with the ICC and feel like justice will be served. After the violence in 2007, no one wants repeat of that. The trial date for the four confirmed has not been set yet, but will probably take place later this year.

It was indeed an interesting day to be in Kenya.