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Thursday, September 21, 2006

Yes, we are not corrupt!

The Daily Nation is up in arms against a reported meeting between US President George Bush and Tanzania's President Jakaya Kikwete " during which Kenya's supposed "political instability" incongruously featured." The Nation complains that "all we get to hear is that we are a failed state, that our governance system is either corrupt or inept or both." Their advise: "If President Bush is keen to know the state of our nation, there are established channels from which he can access the correct information." Surely that's like telling Sen. Obama that he should have asked the Government's Spokesman for accurate information about the graft situation in Kenya. And while we are far from a failed state, it is hardly an exaggeration to say "that our governance system is either corrupt or inept or both."

9 comments:

Mwenye Nchi said...

Read between the lines (same advice to whoever's behind the Nation article). The Americans know we fixed Sudan and we are in the process of fixing Somalia.
Kenya is far from instability and they know it. Our man in Washington, Mr. Ongego, breached protocol and its payback time. No hard feelings. Just a message for for us to sort our diplomatic representation in the U.S.

walk said...

Being a kenyan professional working in the Dc area let me assure you (those in kenya) that the issue of mr ongego breaching protocal is all made up by the standard newspapers _once again lying to the people of kenya- Like anyother country let me rimind you that senetor obama is not the us government he is infact a senetor of the minority party in congress .President bush has not defended senetor obama as claimed . standard newspapers is cooking up this stories like it does so many other stories . i quick look at the bulleting boards both of the white house and state department will clarify my point . i live here in the washington area and i am well versed in american politics ..the truth will always prevail not matter how much kenyans may not like Kibaki's government creating and making up stories will not help anyone

Anonymous said...

I'm proud of Nation and any other Media that is condemning the USA and Tanzania for calling our country "unstable" . We have to show "The Devil according to Chavez" LOL that he has to respect our nation and the people of Kenya and he cannot go around making unfounded accusations and so is Obama whether he is the only minority Senator does not mean he can come to Kenya and say whatever he wants in a platform however true.... Please Kenyans, why are we so first to kiss ass to foreigners and better yet anything said by Dubya and CO. we have to be a proud people even with our flaws and no one should add insult to injury especially a non-Kenyan!... I'm with you Mwenyenchi Diplomacy , diplomacy!!!

Gathara said...

If Kenya wants respect, then we have to earn it. I am not interested in diplomatic language. The truth is what counts and it is the same whether uttered by locals or by a foreign government. Remember, the same cover of diplomacy was used to try and silence the former British High Commissioner Edwrd Clay and US Ambassador Smith Hempstone when they expresed criticisms of the Kibaki and Moi regimes respectively. I do not see why the Americans should have to apologise for "stating the obvious."

walk said...

first lets get the facts straight concerning this whole issue The letter sent by Our ambassador was infact sent before his credentials were presented and as per diplomatic norm the letter should have waited. Our ambassador over reached himself . (However. Diplomatic norms are not laws they are norms.)When it comes down to us kenya relations in the past three months here are the facts
here on the ground.(Washington DC)

1. The letter to Sen Obama was to him and not to the white house or state department.

2. President Bush in the last three months has only discussed Kenyan issues twice - with the president of Tanzania this week and when our ambassador presented his credentials.

3.The president of the united states has not commented so far on sen obamas visit to Kenya in anyway- all public statements are available on the white house website and in a public achieve of daily white house briefings.

3. The state department has not issued any statement defending or speaking of sen obamas spurt wit the government- daily briefings are available to the public.

4.Statements made about political stability in Kenya are not related to sen obama his visit or his row with the Kenyan government.Tanzanias involvement is simply because TZ is currently the African rep to the un security council and its membership to a us led contact group on horn of Africa security.

5. The United States political system is one with emphasis on separation of powers. Sen. Obama is a democrat and not part of the executive branch hence President George bush did not comment of the issue. - even the head of the senate foreign relations committee Sen. Lugar® has not commented on the letter sent to sen obama or His trip to Kenya .

Those are the facts here on the ground .As much as we might not like Kibakis government false reporting to further the removal of the government can not justify lies and made up stories. The quality of journalism. And the inefficiency of the Kenyan government/and Kenyan embassy staff to defend themselves is sad-

If people want to remove kibaki they dont have to cook up stories just tell people the facts -it is lies like this that have turned me into a kibaki supporter the standard should be shut down this is just shameless

Anonymous said...

by Matthew Lee

NAIROBI (AFP) - The United States moved to quell a diplomatic spat with Kenya sparked by an off-hand remark from a top US official that threatened to sour ties with one of Washington's closest African allies

With Nairobi still smarting from blunt criticism from a visiting US senator of Kenyan descent last month, the US embassy said the offending comment, which appeared to question Kenya's political stability, was "taken out of context."

"We view Kenya as a stable democracy and an important partner in bringing stability to the Horn of Africa region," the US ambassador to Kenya, Michael Ranneberger, told reporters at a hastily called news conference.

He noted, in particular, US concerns about current unrest in Somalia and Sudan.

Ranneberger would not discuss specifics of the comment that has raised Kenya's ire and it was not immediately clear if his attempt to soothe Nairobi's ruffled feathers had worked.

The controversy erupted on Monday when a senior aide to US President George W. Bush briefed reporters about a meeting Bush had on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York with Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete.

Tanzania is now a member of the UN Security Council and the two leaders discussed several African issues, including the situation in the strife-torn nations of the Democratic Republic of Congo and Burundi, the aide said.

"Also, they spoke about Kenya and the dynamics of democracy there, and expressed concerns to make sure that democracy is moving forward and discussed some of the issues of political instability that were taking place," she said, according to a White House transcript of the briefing.

The one-sentence line went largely unnoticed by many but became front-page news in Kenya, which has long been regarded as an island of relative stability in volatile east Africa and is preparing for presidential elections next year.

Kenya's foreign ministry said the remark by Cindy Courville, the top Africa expert in the US National Security Council, was "unwarranted and unjustified" and sought formal explanations from the United States and Tanzania.

"It's a painful slap in the face," Nairobi's leading Nation newspaper said Thursday, noting that any concerns about Kenyan stability should not be raised with the president of a neighboring country.

"It does not convey much respect for this country," it said in an editorial.

The impact of Courville's comment was magnified by a running feud between Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki's government and US Senator Barack Obama over his criticism of graft and tribalism during an August visit here.

Greeted with a rock star welcome by thousands of Kenyans, the son of a Kenyan goat herder-turned-economist and only African-American in the US Senate riled the administration with a speech about the country's woes.

In a nationally televised August 28 address at the University of Nairobi, Obama said Kenya's democratic achievements were being jeopardized and the country was "in crisis."

Kibaki's administration hit back, first in Nairobi and then in a letter from its new ambassador to the United States, accusing the rising US political star of betraying his roots with an ill-informed diatribe.

Kenya 1 Obama Democratic Movement- 0

Anonymous said...

just goes to show how kenyan politcis is so inwardly looking events that happen in US are twisted to fit the political mood or agenda of people - urgh

Unknown said...

"that happen in US are twisted to fit the political mood or agenda of people" ... isn't that what politics is all about? :-)

Anonymous said...

politics is about the power to allocate national resources and to provide public service to the masses -not lies and hooliganism