Kenya argued today that putting its top two leaders on trial before the International Criminal Court could compromise security in the often volatile east African region.
The indictments for crimes against humanity against Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta and his deputy William Ruto "create particular problems in the context of regional peace and security," Kenya's attorney-general Githu Muigai said.
Muigai was speaking on the second day of an annual meeting of the Hague-based ICC's member states, during a session to discuss whether heads of states should be given immunity from prosecution.
"Kenya is the lynchpin in the peace and security of more than 250 million people from Djibouti to the eastern Congo. Kenya is one of the most important pillars in eastern Africa" in the fight against terror, drug trafficking and piracy, Muigai said.
He stressed: "It is not in our humble view a country... the international community should play Russian roulette with."
The United States, Britain and Israel have long had close military and intelligence ties with Nairobi.
Kenya plays a major part in regional military efforts to stamp out Al Qaeda-linked militants who have turned neighbouring Somalia into a major global jihadist hub.
The Shebab group carried out an attack on a Nairobi mall that killed at least 67 people in September in retaliation for Kenya's involvement in Somalia.
The annual meeting in The Hague is turning into a forum for some African countries to vent their frustration with the world's only permanent court for crimes against humanity and war crimes.
Delegates from the court's 122 member states today afternoon listened to a special debate on whether the ICC's founding treaty, the Rome Statute, should be changed to say that heads of state cannot be prosecuted while serving in office.
