Obama warns Kenya again

By Susan Anyangu

US President Barack Obama has warned Kenya, which he fondly refers to as the land of his grandfathers, that there would be no retreat on the road to a new constitution.

His government also declared its eye is on Kenya, especially on how the country tackles corruption and impunity.

US Ambassador to Kenya Michael Ranneberger also warned Washington will get tough on Kenya in the next few weeks. He delivered Obama’s caution that there will be no pulling out of the road to a new constitution to avoid recurrence of post-election violence in 2012.

"In the coming weeks the US will speak out more openly and take concrete actions to push for reforms. We are calling for actual results not more task forces and commissions of inquiry," Ranneberger said.

US President Barack Obama (left), then a senator, when he visited Kenya in 2006.

He spoke on a day Prime Minister Raila Odinga was in the US for a crucial United Nations meeting. It is here that, before he got a second chance to meet Obama, some powerful voices in President Kibaki’s Party of National Unity were said to have orchestrated a letter to the US Government that Raila was not a Head of State and should not represent Kenya at the dinner table.

Ranneberger attributed his sentiments to Obama himself, yet another sign the son of a Kenyan father elected US’ first black leader last November, was not about to take his eyes off Kenya.

The speech rekindled that of Secretary of State Hilary Clinton’s reaction to a remark Obama could be meddling in Kenya’s affairs, "Listen to your son, he means well to you".

Growing impatience

The Obama Administration’s latest statement appeared to capture his growing impatience with the slow pace of reforms, and lethargy in tackling corruption and impunity.

Obama is also frustrated by the Government’s failure to establish a local tribunal to try post-election violence suspects and implementation of reforms under Agenda Four item of Dr Kofi Annan’s peace deal.

Speaking yesterday at the United States International University in Nairobi, during the International Day of Peace, Ranneberger said Washington would put pressure on Kenya to deliver on the reforms agenda.

"The spotlight is on Kenya. President Obama has made it clear he sees the broad implementation of the reforms agenda as an urgent step to ensure there is no repeat of the violence witnessed in 2007 or worse," Ranneberger said.

His sentiments echoed Mrs Clinton’s and Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Johnnie Carson’s warnings about two months ago.

"President Barack Obama takes the relationship with Kenya very seriously and very personally. He wants to see the reform agenda go forward. He does not believe it can go forward unless people are brought to account," Clinton said, last month, while she was in Nairobi.

She echoed Carson’s words: "The United States wants to continue to be a strong friend and partner of Kenya. That is why we remain concerned about the trajectory of the politics in Kenya since the flawed elections in December of 2007."

Clinton explained, "Trying to bring to justice some of those who acted violently and preventing them from believing that they can act with impunity is critical to Kenya. It is important to President Obama."

This week, it emerged that Obama was determined to have post-election suspects punished, with the impending meeting by the International Criminal Court prosecutor Louis Moreno-Ocampo and Clinton to work out modalities for the trials this week.

Although Ranneberger did not elaborate on the specific actions the US would take to push the Kenya Government, in the past US has imposed visa bans on those seen to be blocking reforms, and businessmen implicated in corruption.

US ambassador to Kenya Michael Ranneberger.

Such remarks from the US have been reciprocated by similar sanctions from the European Union. Ahead of Clinton’s visit to Kenya, the British High Commissioner Rob Macaire revealed the combined number of ministers, top civil servants, and entrepreneurs banned from stepping on British soil because of their conduct and dealings stood at 20.

Agenda four

The West’s agitation lies with the slow pace of reforms in the Agenda Four item of the National Accord — which include police, judicial and electoral reforms, and a new constitution.

Yesterday, Ranneberger revealed America would support a move by the International Criminal Court to begin investigations. The US Government contends that so far, the only action from Kenya has been in form of rhetoric and commissions.

Recently there was a change of guard in the Police Department however; serious shifts on reforms remain to be seen.

The raging storm over President Kibaki’s unilateral reappointment of Justice Aaron Ringera as the anti-graft director raised a furore, and elicited a terse US reaction. The President has been under attack, mainly by MPs and the civil society that he broke the law by bypassing Parliament and the Kenya Anti-Corruption Commission Advisory Board.

In reaction, the US said it was not ‘business as usual’. The statement called for a re-examination of the reappointment, citing that in the five years it has been in place KACC has not achieved any tangible results.

War on impunity

Ranneberger yesterday reiterated the opinion of his government that corruption and impunity were undermining reforms.

While referring to the culture of impunity, Ranneberger amplified Carson’s sentiments: "In the last 18 to 20 years, no high ranking government official, minister, assistant minister or permanent secretary has been successfully prosecuted for graft".

While the roots of graft get entrenched in society, Ranneberger lamented, empty rhetoric on the fight prevails and blame-games abound, as those in power who can fight corruption do little about it.

"The whole KACC debate is not about Ringera as an individual but rather about the larger picture of the fight against corruption. It is about the ineffectiveness of the systems in place, thus the need for broad reforms," he said.

Once again, Ranneberger lauded Parliament for its bold move in demanding that President Kibaki nullifies the reappointment of Ringera. He said finally, Parliament is beginning to exercise its independence.

The envoy said impunity in high levels of political office is frustrating reforms and warned this would have serious implications on the 2012 General Election.

"If broader reforms are not implemented before 2012, a greater crisis than was witnessed last year awaits this country," he cautioned.

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