Post date: Nov 23, 2013 5:29:25 PM
British diplomats are evicted from a hotel in Kenya after local authorities accused them of "violating diplomatic protocol".
ELDORET, KENYA (NOVEMBER 21, 2013) (CITIZEN TV) - Three senior officials from the British Embassy in Nairobi were evicted from a hotel inEldoret town in Kenya's Rift Valley on Thursday (November 21), accused of "violating diplomatic protocol".
The three were holding a forum with civil society organisations from the region, but local leaders suspected that they were collecting evidence and recruiting witnesses to testify against Kenyan leaders facing crimes against humanity at the ICC.Kenyan president Uhuru Kenyatta and his deputy William Ruto face separate charges of crimes against humanity for their alleged role in stoking ethnic violence in the aftermath of an election in 2007 when 1,200 people were killed.
Kenyan Civil Society activists on Saturday condemned the county government's move to eject the officials, saying they were in town for development matters, and demanded an apology fromNairobi.
"We are wondering why the leaders of Kenya, the governor, the deputy governor, as you said, the president or the deputy president are really jittery about ICC because it is us Kenyans who took ourselves to ICC and we as the civil society are saying: let the judicial case take place in ICC, but let Kenya do a development," said Philip Chelang'a, Chairman of Civil Society groups in Uasin Gishu County.
The British Embassy said in a statement it sent a "Note Verbale" to the Ministry of Foreign Affairsinforming it of the visit of its officials prior to travelling and separately sought to arrange meetings with the Uasin Gishu Governor's office and members of the County Assembly.
Eldoret is the home of Deputy President William Ruto, who enjoys an almost fanatical following in the region.