Kenya Drops Plans to Withdraw from International Criminal Court

Outgoing Attorney-General Githu Muigai now says that Kenya has no plans of withdrawing from the International Criminal Court (ICC).

Speaking at Strathmore University, the State Chief Legal Advisor said the country will remain part of ICC, but insisted that the Hague-based court must have a more constructive engagement with the African continent.

This, Githu said, will help salvage the continent's soring relationship with the Netherlands- headquartered global court.

“Kenya sees the ICC as an institution that ought to be having a constructive engagement with Africa. We ought to have a conversation of equals where issues are resolved with no acrimony,” Prof Muigai said at Strathmore University in Nairobi.

Githu spoke when he presided over the opening of an international justice symposium, Justice for International and Transnational Organised Crimes, an event organised by the Strathmore University, the Wayamo Foundation, and the Africa Group for Justice and Accountability.

“It is important that Kenya never withdrew from ICC, and has no plans at the moment to withdraw,” he said.

Kenya has in the past threatened to withdraw from the court and had launched a continental push for a mass exit of African nations. President Kenyatta had in 2016 vowed that no Kenyan will ever be tried again at ICC.

The Head of State, alongside Deputy President William Ruto and five other Kenyans were facing charges related to the 2007/08 post-election violence, but the cases were all dropped at different times for lack of evidence to propel the cases to full trial.