`Peaceful coexistence among Kenyan tribes is of significance to avoid scenes such as this.
The drive to involve the ICC has gained momentum following the government’s failure to set up a local tribunal to probe post-election violence that claimed 1,500 lives and displaced over 300,000 people.
In February last year, a bill to establish the tribunal was overwhelmingly rejected by parliament on fears that it would be vulnerable to political manipulation. The defeat has been lauded by those who believe that an ICC-led probe would signal a new beginning in arresting the culture of impunity.
Human Rights Watch (HRW) however still favours a local tribunal and maintains that sovereign countries have a responsibility to guarantee the rule of law. It may be that the ICC will have to step in because the Kenyan government is unable or unwilling to see justice done, but that would be a dereliction of duty by Kenya's leaders.
Since our priority is preventing more killings, we need something that can operate more quickly than the ICC traditionally has. A special tribunal here in Kenya could be mobilised with proper political will much more quickly.
Human rights watchers will be keeping an eye on developments as we approach the referendum to ensure a repeat of 2008 does not replay itself.
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