Anxiety has gripped the country firmly as suspects believed to have engineered the 2007 electoral mayhem prepare to leave the country for the International Criminal Court(ICC) at the Hague today.
The suspects who include suspended Higher education minister William Ruto,deputy prime minister Uhuru Kenyatta,head of civil service Francis Muthaura ,postmaster general Hussein Ali and radio journalist Joshua Sang are expected at the Hague Thursday for their initial appearance.
The sextet leaves the country at a time when leaders are sharply divided over the trials with some rooting for a mechanism to try the suspects within the country.
Last week,the six were issued with special visas permitting them entry to a handful of countries in Europe.
Prime minister Raila Odinga has been on the receiving lately as politicians continue to blame him for their Hague tribulations.There have been concerns too that the six might be detained at the ICC.
However,the court has already indicated that the politicians and journalist will be free to return home after the initial appearance.
In the run-up to today's historic 78-hour journey ,the suspects exuded confidence that they will be proved innocent since they did not take part in the violence that saw over 1000 people dead and property worth millions destroyed by fire.
Defense lawyers set foot at the Hague yesterday ahead of the appearances with some promising the ICC a "real legal battle".The lawyers have also expressed confidence that their clients would be exonerated.
The team of lawyers arriving at the Hague yesterday included prof. Kithika Kindure,Kitwa Kigen, among others ,arguably the cream of Kenya's legal brains.
The visit to the international court of justice is significant as it is the first of its kind in the country's history and its outcome could determine how leaders handle disputes in future
