Abstract
This article assesses the dynamics of resistance and cooperation by Kenyan elites to the International Criminal Court (ICC) and the ongoing pressure for reform to Kenya’s security services, which were heavily implicated by a commission of inquiry into the post-election violence (PEV) of 2007/08.1 This article highlights the specific context of the global war on terror (GWOT) and Kenya’s role as a strategic partner in fighting the Somali Islamist group al-Shabaab, al-Qaeda’s African affiliate, as well as being a victim of al-Shabaab attacks. The terrorism narrative served to reinforce Kenya’s existing strategies of opposition. This does not imply that conflating justice and security issues was a strategy intentionally adopted from the outset. However, this article suggests that over time the utility of doing so became apparent. Moreover, the response of Kenya’s leaders to events at the ICC and Kenya’s resistance to security sector reform are worthy of close scrutiny. They highlight what appears to be an international realignment of principles of justice, driven by pragmatism. They also demonstrate the fragility of international justice mechanisms and how it is virtually impossible to divorce them from political contexts.
Keywords—International Criminal Court, strategic communications, Kenya, global war on terror, GWOT, al-Shabaab
About the Author
Karen Allen has been a correspondent with the BBC for more than 25 years, with 13 years based in East and Southern Africa. She is a senior associate at the Institute of Security Studies in Pretoria and a visiting fellow at King’s College London.
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John Githongo—CEO of Inuka Kenya Trust and formerly Permanent Secretary in the Office of the President in Charge of Governance and Ethics (April 2018) (JG).
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