Reject violence during polls, Kenya told
2013-02-06 07:52
Nairobi - Wading gently into the politics of his father's
homeland, United States President Barack Obama on Tuesday urged Kenya to reject
violence in next month's election, adding the voice of America's first black
president to those hoping the country can avoid the descent into bloodshed that
stained its last vote.
Obama released the rare country-specific message in a
YouTube video in which he used Swahili greetings — the common language in Kenya
— to open and close his message. He urged Kenyans to reject intimidation and
violence, to allow a free and fair vote, and to resolve any disputes "in
the courts, not in the streets."
"This is a moment for the people of Kenya to come
together, instead of tearing apart. If you do, you can show the world that you
are not just a member of a tribe or ethnic group, but citizens of a great and
proud nation," said Obama, who has several relatives in the country,
including half-siblings and a step-grandmother.
Kenya goes to the polls on 4 March to vote for president and
other offices. It is the first national election since the 2007 presidential
vote devolved into nationwide violence that killed more than 1 000 people and
displaced at least 600 000.
Obama's message is likely to be well received by most
Kenyans, said John Githongo, a former adviser to Kenya President Mwai Kibaki on
ethics and governance who resigned and then exposed hundreds of millions of
dollars in government corruption.
"To many people who respect him and love him, as
somebody who is the son of our soil, to say something like that is something
that is much appreciated by Kenyans," Githongo said. "Of course there
are those who will call it interference."
Obama visited Kenya as a US senator but did not visit during
his first term as president, a fact that has disappointed many Kenyans. The
president said in his message that he is grateful for his connection to the
country and the welcome he has received there, "from my father's village
in Alego, to bustling Nairobi".
Lack of engagement
Obama spent less than 24 hours in sub-Saharan Africa during
his first term. There are indications Obama may pay more attention to Africa in
his second term, wrote J Peter Pham, an Africa specialist at the Atlantic
Council, a Washington, DC think tank, in a blog posting this month.
"The sense of let-down acutely felt, both in African
capitals and among the Africa constituency in Washington, over the lack of
engagement during most of the administration's first term, remains
palpable," Pham wrote, adding: "Ironically enough, one reason for the
optimism is precisely the current dysfunctional state of America's divided
government. Within Washington's insular foreign policy community, the tiny
Africa constituency has long been known for bipartisan comity."
Obama said in a June 2010 interview with Kenya's state
broadcaster that he was "positive" he would visit Kenya before the
end of his presidency. But that promise may be hard to keep politically if
violence recurs in this year's election. Complicating the politics of the
election, one of the two major candidates for president, Uhuru Kenyatta, faces
trial at the International Criminal Court related to charges he helped
orchestrate the 2007-08 violence.
If Kenyatta wins this year's presidential race, some
analysts fear he could break his promise to attend the ICC trial. If he
doesn't, Kenya's relationships with the Western world will likely change
dramatically.
Obama did not take sides in his message, other than to back
peace.
"The choice of who will lead Kenya is up to the Kenyan
people. The United States does not endorse any candidate for office, but we do
support an election that is peaceful and reflects the will of the people,"
he said, before saying goodbye in Swahili: "Kwaheri".
- AP
