Odinga faults African leaders on International Criminal Court stand

Former Prime Minister Raila Odinga

Pretoria, South Africa: Former Prime Minister Raila Odinga has asked African governments to come up with concrete steps to provide justice to citizens whose rights have been abused by leaders.

Raila said he is disturbed by attempts by the continent’s leadership to demonise institutions that seek to protect ordinary citizens, who have suffered abuses in hands of leaders.

Addressing students and staff of University of Pretoria on Wednesday evening, Raila said growing attacks on International Criminal Court(ICC) are disturbing and hypocritical.

Raila once again defended ICC from accusations that it targeted African leaders saying the continent was a victim of its own failures.

He said it was difficult to understand why leaders, who voluntarily appended their signatures toRome Statute that set up ICC have turned around to condemn the same institution.

Raila was speaking at a session dubbed Future of Democracy in Africa at the university

The session was part of the wider programme on cost of democracy organised by Boston University’s African Presidential Centre. The former PM said Africans are suffering as a result of betrayal of ideals that informed the struggle for independence. He appealed to the continent’s leaders to be honest with their citizens instead of inventing enemies.

Basic freedoms

He said the thought that Africans could take arms to fight fellow Africans was remote during liberation struggle.

“Independence came. The leadership comprised of those who had fought for basic freedoms of expression, speech, association and movement. We assumed the leaders understood the pain of being denied these freedoms,” said Raila.

“They knew the pain of being discriminated against on the basis of tribe, race, religion and place of origin. We thought they would not commit such sins against their own people. Today, we know we were wrong,” Raila said.

He lamented the struggle African people have had to endure years after independence has been as vicious or even worse than during colonial times.

“It has been a struggle laced with the pain of being betrayed by a brother, an uncle, a father, a neighbour, and a friend. Where do we to turn?”

He appealed to Africa’s youth never to trust their future on individuals saying only institutions count.

By Titus Too, The Standard