Kenyan lawyer Paul Gicheru makes his first appearance before the ICC on November 6, 2020, before Judge Reine Adélaïde Sophie Alapini-Gansou of Pre-Trial Chamber A.
Being haunted by the court, Dr Ruto played victim, mobilised around patriotism and sovereignty and got a huge sympathetic following.
The patriotism card is also a major strategy for any politician facing the court.
Ordinarily, being accused of committing crimes against humanity should be a public relations nightmare for a leader. But the surrender of lawyer Paul Gicheru to the International Criminal Court (ICC) following indictment over witness tampering in the case facing Deputy President William Ruto could be a blessing in disguise for him as he trains his sight on the presidency in 2022. Especially, if 2013 case is anything to go by.
The ICC cases brought together President Uhuru Kenyatta and Dr Ruto, who were in rival political camps, during the disputed 2007 presidential vote, whose result sparked violence and the subsequent ICC intervention.
