ICC Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda. The 14th witness told the ICC that during
the 2007/2008 violence, the bodies were left to rot in open fields. The
witness started testifying Monday in the crimes against humanity case
against Deputy President William Ruto and journalist Joshua arap Sang.
PHOT/FILE
Police had no interest in collecting some bodies of those killed during the post-election violence, a witness said Monday.
The 14th witness told the ICC Monday that during the 2007/2008 violence, the bodies were left to rot in open fields.
The
witness who started testifying Monday in the crimes against humanity
case against Deputy President William Ruto and journalist Joshua arap
Sang, said he counted up to six decomposing bodies being feasted upon by
pigs and dogs.
The witness, whose identity has been
concealed and voice distorted as part of the courts measure to protect
him, said he made the discovery while escorting his wife from a location
identified as Number One to Huruma area. The bodies, he said, bore
panga cuts. Others appeared to have been hit by blunt objects.
“I
could not identify the bodies since they had been badly mutilated. I
moved on and later, I met police removing roadblocks and asked them why
they were not removing the bodies. They told me they were tired of
picking the bodies,” he said while responding to queries by the
prosecution.
The roadblocks, he said, were being manned by Kalenjin youths, who asked him to identify himself.
He
said he did not give his ID as they could have easily known he was
Kikuyu and he would have been killed just like another whose body was
not far away from where they were.
“I told them my ID had been stolen… they let me pass,” he said.
Earlier
on, the witness said Kalenjin youths, clad in red shukas, armed with
traditional weapons, and part of whose faces were painted with red soil,
burnt houses belonging to the Kikuyus after the 2007 election.
Under
the cover of darkness in some instances, the witness said the youths he
estimated to have been between 50 and 100, moved from one home to
another, only targeting those belonging to Kikuyus.
Had no hands
They doused the houses with either petrol or paraffin and razed them.
As a result, one person, a Kikuyu identified as Number Four, was killed at a location given the number Six.
The witness said, the man, a Kikuyu was slashed with a panga. His body, which was discovered days later, had no hands.
This, according to the witness, was done to punish Kikuyus for not supporting ODM during the elections.
“The
Kalenjin youths were armed with pangas, rungus and arrows. We fought
them with stones to stop them from burning houses,” he said.
The hearing continues.
In some instances, we overpowered them, they ran away and did not fulfil their mission,” he said.
While
responding to queries from the prosecution, the witness added; “In the
end, several of our houses were razed to the ground. Some were forced to
run to the Eldoret Divisional Police headquarters for their safety.”
The
witness was testifying in the case against Deputy President William
Ruto and Journalist Joshua arap Sang, who are facing crimes against
humanity charges arising from the 2008 post-election violence.
At least 1000 people were killed with 650,000 others being rendered homeless in the violence.
Asked
whether he could recognize some of the attackers, the witness said it
was difficult since a number of the attacks occurred at night.
He
claimed the Kalenjins appear to have been instructed to cause the
damages they did. Their movements, he said were controlled.
‘One group would move as the others wait. This system meant someone was in control or a phone was used…this is my conclusion.”
In one instance, the witness recalled having heard one of their neighbours screaming after she was attacked by the youths.
“On leaving my house, we realized that her house had been set ablaze.”
He said after accomplishing their mission, the youths congregated at the house of person identified as number three.
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