A witness told the International Criminal Court (ICC) Joshua arap Sang often preached peace on Kass FM radio station before and during attacks that followed the December 2007 elections, but he also incited violence.
Witness 658 said on Thursday Sang deliberately injected negative messages into broadcasts of peace. The witness said this in response to a question from Presiding Judge Chile Eboe-Osuji, who wanted to know whether it was the witness’s opinion Sang aired negative messages deliberately or was just expressing himself awkwardly.
Judge Eboe-Osuji’s question followed a series of questions that Caroline Buisman, Sang’s lawyer, asked the witness. She wanted to know whether he was sure that he had heard Sang incite Kalenjins against the Kikuyu on air or whether he had confused some of the words Sang had used. The witness was insistent that he was sure of what he heard while acknowledging most of what Sang broadcast was peace messages.
Sang is on trial at the ICC together with Deputy President William Samoei Ruto. They each face three counts of crimes against humanity for their alleged roles in the bloodshed that shook Kenya between December 2007 and February 2008.
In the afternoon session, Buisman asked Witness 658 about his testimony on Monday that Sang called on his fellow villagers to form road blocks after the presidential results were declared on December 30, 2007. Buisman challenged the witness that if Kikuyus in the area were to flee violence, they would head north to Kitale and not pass near the village the witness had named. He said that in his testimony he had only said Sang called on the youth to set up road blocks. He said he did not know whether such road blocks were set up or whether Kikuyus in the area had reason to flee their homes.
Buisman corrected the witness’s spelling of the village in question, Kipkeikei, instead of Kipkege as the witness had previously said. He accepted the correction. He also accepted Buisman’s statement that Sang’s home village is Seum, which is close to Kipkeikei. The main town to the north of the village is Kitale and about 70 kilometers south of Kipkeikei is Eldoret.
Throughout the day Buisman played excerpts from various broadcasts of Kass FM, concentrating on the peace messages that aired around the time of the post-election violence. The court heard peace messages from prominent Kalenjin leaders such as Ambassador Bethwell Kiplagat and General Lazaro Sumbeiywo, both of whom had previously mediated peace processes in Somalia and Sudan.
Buisman asked the witness whether he knew the messages had been prerecorded, and he answered he would not know if they had been broadcast live or prerecorded. At some point Buisman also asked him whether he was aware there was a ban on live broadcasts. He said he was aware, but he had no way of knowing whether what he heard in January 2008 was live or not. On Tuesday Witness 658 testified that between January 1 and 3, 2008 he heard Sang warn youths involved in attacks and controlling road blocks to retreat from particular places because the police had been deployed and ordered to use live bullets against them.
Witness 658 will continue testifying on Friday.
Ipray for both victims and the suspects that God may do justice for them.
already the judges knows tz witnesses r lying n their were after money
Surely If The Defence Can Availe Atleast Some Of The Recordings From Kass Fm , Why Can The Prosecution Also Play Even A Piece Of The Same Clips To Proof Their Allegations. If This Witness No. 658 Has Conqured That The Live Broadcasts Of Some Venecular Radio Stations Then His Testimony That Sang Was Giving Instructions To The Kalenjine Youths To Avede Police Shooting In Some Areas Is Doughtable , Since The Only Option You Can Relay A Quick Urgent Command Is Through Live Coverage .
The witness agrees that Sang preached peace messages that is the truth because there is evidence from KASS FM but at the same time the allegations of incitement that has no prove, remember beyond any reasonable doubt is the burden of the witness and prosecution to prove but not asume.
Even the bible say no well springs both sweet and bitter waters.
It would smack of a jog for anyone to send mixed signals for then they will be deemed jokers and no one will take them seriously.
It is either Sang incited the crowd or he mollified and sued for peace. I do not expect the judges to conclude otherwise or buy into these lies.
prosecution shuld play clips or recodngs to prove that sang incited not just relayng on a single person wit his on way of intepretation. This witness is joking, mayb coz he haz pocketet enough.
Reply
The witness seems to have selective amnesia and only remembers only inciting dots and blots in the overall message of peace and hallucinates by hearing sang on kass when the all stations were closed including kass
witnesses were actually coached,it appears they are narating the storey,
why is someone witnessing places he can’t know?
i was in eld the entire period and am shocked at this witness, no wonder this case wil turn round and round at the tune of such misguided, witnesses in indeed you aint sure of what you are saying why go lie at an international court? I personally heard hundreds of tym arap sang tell ppl not to engage in violence!! Shocking indeed is the fact tat ICC didnt bother cnfm why violence erupted in msa kisumu kitale bungoma … almost the entire country! now that ruto $ sang hv been left in court, the prosecutor shd now gv hard evidence (which doesnt exist) to proof case beyond reasonable doubt1
I am kalenjin living in Riftvalley,where leaders and champions comes from. we in riftvalley are very peaceful and generous people and we are at peace. When during the election announcement came,immediately RAILA AMOLO ODINGA,disagreed with the results and without wasting time, he called for MASS ACTION this caught people unaware, and that moment every TOM AND HARRY AND DICK took demonstrations at the field and all of a certain, alot of damage was done. It was not a matter of planning, no one sat down and planned the violence. The rogue youths who were supporters of RAILA became hostile and caught attention of every one. i was in mombasa town and i witnessed a lot of mayhem. i remember addressing of the roudy youths who were hired to spoil the veihcles along the highway to leave the barbaric action. I told them please dont spoil the people properties. they listened carefully and abandoned their evil doings. it was only one word,”GOD IN HEAVEN SEES EVERYTHING” and i was happy to see them dispersing.
i was a fan of Joshua Sang and not a single day did he incite people as alleged. sang had a morning program entitled, “LEN NEE EMET” (what the nation says). in this program, he used to educate the kalenjin people to know about our nation and all that is good for us in kenya. He invited various people for discussion, among them are politicians,business people, cousellorS and other prfessionals. The aim of this programme was to expose us to interact with other kenyans and learn from them. If sang was an inciter, the intellegence would have arrested him long time ago. He controlled politicians not to talk matters pertaining to incitements. He was very careful on this. Ruto God blessed him, though young, he and his family had become a blessings. Envy and hatred from his fellow politicians made sure he landed into deeep problems. He is independent and loveable by many.
He braved the prominent families of powerful politicians and went on and won elections. Since then, i see Ruto William as a born king.
I urge ICC not to spend a lot of time,money,and energy on this two gentlemen because, no weapon from satan will hit them. GOD IS SHOWING ME,THESE PEOPLE, HE WILL PROTECT THEM TO THE END. Bensouda in her bitterness, cannot succeed and God forbids someone to be prosecuted innocently as a trial and lesson.
COURT,AND JUDGES,PLEASE, AQUIT THEM AND SET THEM FREE. GOD WILL BLESS YOU ALL. GOD LOVES US ALL, LET US WORK IN HARMONY AND MY PRAYER IS THAT, TERMINATE THEIR CASES. BENSOUDA ACCEPT JESUS CHRIST AS YOUR PERSONAL SAVIOUR AND FROM THAT MOMENT YOU WILL BE BLESSED. DONT BECOME A CURSED DAUGHTER FROM AFRICA PROSECUTING HER FELLOW BROTHERS, DONT LET THE CRY OF THEIR CHILDREN BE UPON YOUR HEAD.SET THEM FREE AND BE FREE INDEED. SANG IS GOING TO SERVE GOD AND RUTO WILL SERVE HIS NATION. IN HEAVEN THERE WILL BE A GREAT JOY,OUT OF THAT ALL, THE JUDGES SHALL BE BLESSED.
MAY GOD BLESS YOU ALL AND I BELIEVE IT IS DONE ON EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN-AMEN.
Amen.
Nothing can be further from the truth Antipah.
You have summarized all that happened in a factual, truthful and honest way.
When results trickled out and became apparent ODM was losing out, the party called for mass action in the vain hope that results would somehow be reversed.
The reason the cases are failing in the icc is because the court has failed to acknowledge that the violence was politically motivated.
The prosecutor is encouraged to terminate the cases and seek ODM party chief to explain why:
1) Road barricades spotted in the south Rift reading:No Raila, No peace.
2) In the upper Rift area of Ravine(Muserechi) ODM supporters had time to curve out the statue of ODM leader on the huge roadside boulders with erected barricades. The supporters wherever they were propagated violence.
So who paid them for this monumental tasks of stone curving and violence or was it a free favor?
3) The Kenya cases should have taken the shape of the Congo case.
Thomas Lubanga confronts a case of failure to reign in his foot soldiers who caused mayhem in the Congo, him having been the political head.
In the Kenya case the goal posts have being changed to have the cases take a ‘criminal’ responsibility’ cause so that those who ignited the violence with the aim of capturing power are left unscathed.
Lastly, Kenya should not pull out of the icc but instead encourage the court to do fresh investigations on those with highest responsibility.
Local courts be set for the small cases. The bigger ones should continue in the hands of the icc since political witch hunt will be cited by those keen to avoid the noose.
IF AT ALL THERE WAS ANY PLANNING, IT MUST HAVE BEEN EXTREMELY SHODDY. WHY DID THE PLANNERS WAIT UNTIL SO LATE TO HAVE FUNDRAISING TO BUY/BRING ‘THINGS’? I WOULD IMAGINE THE THINGS SHOULD HAVE BEEN BROUGHT AND MADE AVAILABLE AND READY FOR ACTION LONG BEFORE ELECTION DATE
The world came tumbling down on the leadership of ODM when results confirmed they had been marooned.
In the futile hope of reversing the result they sparked the wave of violence by asking their supporters to resort to mass action.
The prosecutor should have started off from there.