ICC prosecutor now wants the Kenyan government to arrest and hand over Barasa for witness interference

After the International Criminal Court issued a warrant of arrest for journalist Walter Barasa, the prosecution led by Fatou Bensouda is now asking the Kenyan government to arrest and hand him over to the ICC to face charges of interfering with its witnesses.

The ICC prosecutor confirmed that the Kenyan government had officially received a warrant to immediately arrest and transfer Barasa to the ICC in order to face criminal charges.

"There is evidence to suggest that Walter Barasa tried to bribe someone he thought was a Prosecution witness in the case against (Deputy President William) Mr Ruto," said the prosecutor in a statement on Wednesday.

She added that the prosecution has carried out a comprehensive investigation on witness interference and they have enough evidence that there is a network of people who are out to sabotage Deputy President William Ruto case at the Hague based criminal court and the prosecution believes that Barasa is part of this wide network.

"The evidence collected so far indicates that there is a network of people who are trying to sabotage the case against Mr Ruto et al. by interfering with Prosecution witnesses. Walter Barasa, against whom compelling evidence has been collected, has been part of this network, and his actions fit into this wider scheme that the Office continues to investigate," Bensouda said.

Barasa has since refuted these allegations saying the ICC prosecution team is merely after him for refusing to cooperate with them to nail Deputy President William Ruto.

Under the Rome statute, if one is found guilty of witness interference, may be jailed for up to five years, or fined, or both.