20110423
reuters

NAIROBI (Reuters) - Any Kenyan court set up to try suspects accused of violence after a disputed election in 2007 would be unsuitable for high profile cases but could handle the hundreds of lesser crimes, the U.S. ambassador said on Saturday.

International Criminal Court prosecutors have accused six political and business figures, among them Finance Minister Uhuru Kenyatta, of involvement in the violence that killed more than 1,200 people.

The Kenyan government has objected to the ICC proceedings, requesting judges declare the cases inadmissible. It says the adoption of a new constitution and other reforms have made it possible to conduct its own prosecutions.

"We do think that it's important to try the non-high profile suspects because hundreds, if not thousands, of people carried out violence at the time. I think that's quite possible to do. For the non-high profile suspects, it's doable," outgoing Ambassador Michael Ranneberger told reporters.

"I am not going to say exactly what the mechanism will be, but as long as you have an independent judiciary. Whereas it would not be credible to do it with the high profile suspects. It would be too sensitive."

Ranneberger, who finishes his posting to Kenya at the end of April, has long been vocal about the need for reform and empowering young people to help prevent a repeat of the violence in the next election.

The U.N. Security Council has shelved Kenya's request to defer the proceedings. The ICC is still to decide whether Kenya, rather than it, has jurisdiction to try the cases, but the judicial proceedings in The Hague will continue.

Ranneberger reiterated U.S. opposition to deferring the cases, saying Kenyans needed to get a sense of accountability.