As some the Ocampo six prepare to entered the chambers of the ICC, the country is deeply divided depending on which side of political affiliation one is in. The 2007/2008 post election violence resulted in the death of over one thousand people and the displacement of hundreds of thousands. Kenya, which basked as being a haven of peace in a deeply turbulent region, had its image shattered. It will in deed take many years to rebuild the image and soul of the country, which has sunk to the rock bottom. Since Kenya is a key strategic partner for western interests, international powers had to rapidly intervene so as to prevent further turmoil in the country.
Whereas ICC prosecutor Louis Moreno Ocampo looks for evidence to pin down the Ocampo 6, the deep divisions have emerged again and it appears that the some ground that had been gained in national reconciliation has rapidly been lost. Whereas the ICC process may serve to forestall future violence, the deep ethno cultural divisions and the case of the identity of the Kenyan State are not matters that can be resolved by the ICC. The same crisis is bedeviling many of the sub Saharan African States, with the latest example being that of Ivory Coast; where northerners, mainly Alassane Ouattarra supporters, are not viewed as Ivorian enough by the Southerners, Laurent Gbagbo’s main supporters, hence creating a stalemate.
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