NAIROBI, Kenya, Oct 8- Kenya has withdrawn from the International Court of Justice, ahead of a crucial maritime dispute ruling.
Kenya also said it will not recognize the judgment from the court in the ongoing case pitting it against Somalia.
Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Macharia Kamau on Friday said that the government will not recognize the judgment on the maritime case, that is set to be delivered on Tuesday, October 12.
“That is our position for now,” he said during a press conference on Friday.
Kenya and Somalia have engaged in a protracted legal tussle at the ICJ over maritime territory in the Indian Ocean.
Ps Kamau said the court lacks jurisdiction to determine the dispute.
Kamau said the court has been manifestly biased and hence unsuitable to resolve the conflict.
He argued the much-awaited judgment over Kenya-Somalia maritime tussle will be a culmination of a flawed judicial process that Kenya has had reservations with.
“It shall no longer be subjected to an international court or tribunal without our express consent,” he said.
Kamau said the government believes the conflict ought to have been resolved through amicable negotiation.
He said the case was an attempt by Somalia to infringe on the country’s territorial integrity, saying it all started in 1969.
During the media briefing, he was accompanied by the Vice Chief of Defence Forces Lt Gen Francis Ogola, Solicitor General Ken Ogeto, and Defence PS Ibrahim Mohamed.
On September 23, President Uhuru Kenyatta Thursday presided over the presentation of Presidential and Regimental Colours ceremony to the Kenya Navy Base (KNB) Manda Bay, at the Base Headquarters, Magogoni area, Lamu County.
KNB Manda Bay was commissioned in 1995 by former Chief of Defence forces General Mohamed Muhamud.
The military base would be on the frontline of defending the disputed area if need be.
Manda Bay has played a key role as the launch pad of most of the major operations that KDF has executed in Lamu, its environs, and across the border.
Want to send us a story? Contact Shahidi News Tel: +254115512797 (Mobile & WhatsApp)
