Kenyan officials face Hague trial over election killings

Senior Kenyan government officials suspected of committing crimes against humanity during last year's election violence could be indicted in The Hague as soon as next year, the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court announced. Luis Moreno-Ocampo said two or three cases could be presented for trial by July 2010, well before the next presidential poll in 2012. The main suspects include powerful cabinet ministers on both sides of the coalition government. Ocampo was speaking in Nairobi after failing to obtain permission from President Mwai Kibaki and Raila Odinga, the prime minister, to prosecute those most responsible for the violence, during which at least 1,133 people died following Kibaki's dubious election win. The Argentine prosecutor will seek authority next month from the ICC's pretrial chamber to begin a unilateral investigation, by arguing that Kenya failed to act against the main perpetrators through its own courts. "Everyone is worried about the next election in Kenya in 2012. That is why I understand the importance of speed," Ocampo said. His visit to Nairobi has caused panic at the highest levels of power, where ministers have enjoyed total impunity despite political violence and corruption since independence.