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Mount Kenya University (MKU) Honorary Degree Leaves Beneficiary In Career Danger

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ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan is conferred with a honorary Law doctorate by Mount Kenya University (MKU) Chancellor Prof John Struthers during the varsity's 23rd graduation ceremony.

The conferment of International Criminal Court (ICC) Prosecutor Karim Khan with an honorary doctorate of law degree in the 23rd graduation ceremony at the Mount Kenya University has left him in trouble.

Azimio la Umoja One Kenya Coalition party lawyer Paul Mwangi has written to the ICC over the conflict of interest of prosecutor Karim Khan.

Mr Mwangi in his letter to Hague’s head of Independent Oversight Mechanism claims that Khan’s alleged dalliance with Kenya creates little confidence to victims of international crimes.

According to Mwangi, the ICC prosecutor’s conduct casts doubt on whether the victims would get justice.

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This is after Azimio threatened to present petitions against government officials over protestors killed by the police.

In his letter, the senior lawyer claims that Khan represented President William Ruto during the 2007-2008 polls chaos trial.

At the same time, he alleges that the ICC prosecutor and his wife run charity endeavours in Kenya.

MKU

Mwangi also says in his letter that Mr. Khan’s dealings with Mount Kenya University were not at arm’s-length. “Mount Kenya University that granted Mr. Khan his honorary degree was founded was founded by Prof. Simon Gicharu who still acts as its vision carrier. Mr. Gacharu is a friend and close associate of President William Samoei Ruto to whom case number ICC-01/09-01/11 relates. Pictorial evidence of Prof. Gacharu welcoming Mr. Khan to the University suggests that Prof. Gacharu was a connection point between Mr. Khan and Mount Kenya University, thus making Mr. Khan’s dealings with the University not at arms-length.”

Khan and Simon Gicharu when he visited Kenya recently.

However, the lawyer now claims that despite the engagements and the recent honorary doctorate conferment, the ICC prosecutor has never formally recused himself from the Kenyan cases.

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“Until August 8, 2023, as will be narrated later in this petition, there has been no official recusal of Mr Khan from the four pending matters stated above nor any known application on his part to the Presidency of The Court to be excused from the situation in Kenya as is contemplated by Article 42(6) of The Rome Statutes,” claims Mwangi in his letter dated August 15, 2023.

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Mwangi states that a copy of the letter will be sent to the President of The Assembly of State Parties.


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