Kenya vows to have ICC statute amended

Foreign minister says statute that led to
formation of court should be changed to
exempt sitting presidents from trial.
Kenya's foreign minister has said her
country will press ahead with moves to
have the International Criminal Court's
founding document amended to grant
sitting heads of state immunity from
prosecution.
Speaking at the ICC 's Assembly of States
Parties' annual meeting in The Hague ,
Netherlands , Amina Mohamed said on
Thursday that Kenya wants a special
meeting of the assembly to discuss
amending the Rome Statute that created
the court .
Her comments came nearly a week after a
UN Security Council resolution seeking to
postpone the trial of Kenyan President
Uhuru Kenyatta and his deputy William
Ruto for a year was rejected .
Kenyatta and Ruto face charges of crimes
against humanity at the ICC over their
alleged role in fomenting post -election
violence in 2007 -8 which killed 1 ,100
people.
Ruto is already on trial at the court in The
Hague , the court' s headquarters, while
Kenyatta is scheduled to go on trial in
February 2014.
Both men insist they are innocent of
involvement in the violence that displaced
300 ,000 .
"At the end of the day, our goal is to
make sure that the Rome Statute
recognises what we all know to be true -
that heads of state and government can
only be tried after their terms of service
come to an end ," Mohamed said.
"That 's something that happens in all our
countries . It is something that has never
failed us . There is no reason to change
that. If it ain't broke , don ' t fix it . "
Thirty -four African states are signatories to
the Rome Statute and the ICC cases have
all involved Africans, sparking criticism by
African leaders that the court is racist .
Most of the cases , however , have been
referred to the ICC by African states
themselves as they do not have
competent courts to deliver justice that
meets international standards .
Regional stability
Kenya is engaged in a diplomatic push to
halt the cases , arguing the country - and
the volatile east African region - needs
strong leadership as it battles al- Qaeda-
linked terrorists in neighbouring Somalia .
At the Hague meeting , Kenya' s attorney-
general, Githu Muigai, said that if the trial
went ahead , the entire region could be
destabilised.
"Kenya is the lynchpin in the peace and
security of more than 250 million people
from Djibouti to the eastern Congo . Kenya
is one of the most important pillars in
eastern Africa " in the fight against terror,
drug trafficking and piracy, Muigai said.
He stressed: "It is not in our humble view
a country . .. the international community
should play Russian roulette with ."
The United States, Britain and Israel have
long had close military and intelligence
ties with Nairobi .
Kenya plays a major part in regional
military efforts to stamp out al -Qaeda -
linked fighters who have turned Somalia
into a major global jihadist hub .
The al - Shabab group carried out an attack
on a Nairobi mall that killed at least 67
people in September in retaliation for
Kenya's involvement in Somalia , which
began in October 2011 .