Uganda: Museveni Blast’s ICC During 52nd Independence Celebrations

By staff Writer

Uganda’s president, Yoweri Museveni on Thursday 9 attacked the International Criminal Court (ICC) for summoning Kenyan president, Uhuru Kenyatta over a case related to election violence that shock the country in 2007/08, describing the Hague based court as “a biased instrument of post-colonial hegmony.”, during Uganda’s 52nd independence celebrations at Kololo, Kampala.

Museveni said by summoning Kenyatta, a sitting president, the court had despised an African Union (AU) resolution and exposed itself as being used to push “the hegmonistic post-colonial agenda targeting African leaders.”

Museveni avers that Africa should urgently reconsider its engagement with ICC on account of its humiliating treatment of the continent.

“My view is that, at the next summit, African countries should review their membership of the ICC treaty. The ICC is turning out not be the value addition product that we had expected it to be. It is instead a biased instrument of post-colonial hegemony,” he said.

He also faulted the court for calling the case “status conference” on the eve of the East African Community (EAC) infrastructure summit at Munyonyo.

“The pushers of the hegmonistic agenda have been misusing the ICC, an institution we initially supported. The AU Assembly of Heads of State resolved that no African sitting President should be summoned by that court. This resolution was taken to the United Nations Security Council where there is no permanent member from Africa,” Museveni said.“That group did not see much merit in the collective wisdom of the African leaders; and the court summoned Kenyatta on the eve of our summit here. Was the aim of the court to disrupt our summit? Too bad for them. Our summit went on Wednesday 8 as planned.”

He added that the problems facing Uhuru and African countries in general are ideological and “ICC to handle them as just legal matters is the height level of shallowness.”

The UNSecurity Council is the top decision making organ at the UN comprising of USA, Russia, China, France and Britain.

Kenyatta, together with his deputy, William Ruto are facing trial for crimes against humanity emanating from the bloody fallout from the  highly charged 2007/08 presidential polls in Kenya that claimed the lives of over 1000 people.

Mr. Kenyatta appeared at the ICC on Wednesday and the court adjourned his case indefinitely. Prior to flying out, he had handed over power to his deputy, Mr William Ruto, so that he appears at the ICC in his individual capacity. On return, before he regained his presidential status, he was welcomed by a huge crowd.

The Uganda at 52nd celebrations were attended by presidents Jakaya Kikwete of Uganda, Paul Kagame (Rwanda), and Salva Kiir (South Sudan).There were representatives from Kenya, Burundi and Ethiopia.

Mr Kikwete, who spoke on behalf of other guests, said Uganda has made progress. “The people of Uganda live a better life than it was 30-40 years ago, something President Museveni and NRM fought hard for.

Museveni warned that the army and police will quash anybody who plans to disrupt peace, while appealing for his country’s population to engage in large scale commercial farming to eradicate famine and poverty.

He also cautioned against eating bush meat especially monkeys and bats that can transmit the deadly Ebola and Marburg diseases.

Kampala Archbishop Emeritus Emmanuel Cardinal Wamala and philanthropist Mother Mary Kevin Kearney, who founded Nsambya Hospital, were among the recipients of the golden jubilee medals.

The ICC has received criticism over its perceived selective application of justice on account of only pursuing cases involving Africans; something which hasn’t olgered well with AU as they watch the court that they enthusiastically supported and signed signatory to, being turned into a modern day colonial tool by the imperialists and  biased, terming it a racist court.

Some of these include Sudan President, Omar Bashir, former Democratic Republic of Congo Vice President, Pierre Bemba, Liberia’s former President, Charles Taylor and former Congolese war lords, Bosco Ntaganda and Thomas Lubanga.

However, citizens of countries like Russia, China, USA and Israel cannot be prosecuted by the ICC because these states have not ratified the Rome Statute that created the court.