Throughout the 2007 election campaigns in Kenya, the general demeanor of the United States Ambassador to Kenya Mr. Michael Ranneberger suggested that the US government was strongly behind Raila Amollo Odinga for Kenya’s Presidency.
It was therefore utterly petrifying to experience Ambassador Ranneberger congratulate robber Mwai Kibaki minutes after the old man stole the vote in full view of both local and International media. While still at Kenyatta International Conference Center, the crime scene, the Ambassador proceeded to urge Kenyans “to accept the results” and seriously advised ODM leaders to go to court if they were not satisfied with the results.
But that was before the outbreak of macabre violence across the country, merciless slaughter of civilians from both sides and wanton destruction of property as ODM supporters took to the streets in protest. Realizing that they were standing on the wrong side of the conflict, the US government quickly withdrew its congratulatory message to Kibaki as the Ambassador hurried to shift positions to the effect that the elections were dogged by “irregularities during the tallying process”, irregularities which, he said, needed to be addressed.
The Ambassador knew that the vote had been stolen. In fact, the Molo vote was stolen in his very presence at KICC. Despite hard facts and evidence from his European colleagues that showed that Kibaki had rigged elections, the US continued to tell Raila to “talk to Kibaki” to find some kind of political settlement.
A government of National Unity was proposed together with the option of a Coalition government. Even US government Intelligence agencies did not alert the Ambassador that after the hurried congratulatory note to Kibaki by the US State Department, the US Ambassador to Kenya had lost the confidence of ODM leaders while trust in US government’s ability to resolve the crisis had also been undermined in the eyes of ODM supporters who were fighting the war in the streets. Subsequent appearances on Kenya TV stations by the Ambassador were seen as theatre.
Jendayi Frazer, top American diplomat, was jetted in to repair the damage. Unfortunately, she was never briefed that Kibaki had betrayed a deal of a Coalition government with Raila’s Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) soon after Raila campaigned for Kibaki and made him President with his famous “Kibaki Tosha” declaration.
Frazer was also not updated that Kibaki abused a “Government of National Unity” he created with KANU and Ford People soon after LDP walked away from the National Rainbow Coalition (Narc) government. As Frazer drummed the Unity and Coalition government options as a solution to the crisis, little did she know that she was beating the drums to people whose mind set was shifting to “Mass action” as a solution.
WHY IS US GOVERNMENT UNEASY WITH RAILA AS PRESIDENT?
As if that wasn’t enough, the thick-headedness of the American government was played out in its doomed strategy based on the robbed talking to the robber for a share of the stolen property under the terms of the robber with Government of National Unity or Coalition government acting as a platform for negotiations. Kenyans were being told that they could have a new version of democracy where the winner plays the under dog and the big looser calls the shots. It was an insult to the intelligence of Kenyans and African people.
In the end, the Ambassador failed while Frazer returned home empty handed, quietly and without the pomp and publicity that greeted her arrival. In the meantime, the violence, the killings and the shooting by police continued.
From the behavior and actions of the Americans, the Bush administration was largely viewed by ODM to be on the side of some “power sharing deal” which was not selling. Why didn’t the Americans come out forcefully to denounce Kibaki and to tell him to step down especially after massive evidence emerged that Kibaki had rigged elections?
The answer is that Americans are not comfortable with Raila as President of Kenya. Raila had declared that if he seizes power, no Kenyan Muslim will be taken to Guantanamo to be persecuted after being picked from Kenya on suspicion of terrorism. For the Americans, a Raila Presidency carries with it the risk of loosing Kenya as a play ground where their Security and Intelligence services can conduct operations, make investigations, arrest Kenyans at will in the name of fighting terrorism and take them away like captured rats for further investigation away from Kenya where they begin to be referred to as “Enemy combatants”.
The US felt safer with Kibaki who has allowed them free access to all corners of Kenya including the Port of Mombasa which has virtually become American territory. American and British solders routinely play “War games” in North Eastern province where they are known to rape and impregnate young girls at will. In fact, Mombasa is the ultimate “Sex resort” of American solders known for preying on underage girls in exchange for dollars as the Kenyan government looks the other way.
From the pattern of vote casting, Kenyans voted out an old, pre-independence generation of politicians including Kibaki who entered Parliament in 1963. His Octogenarian Vice president was also kicked out.
ODM is a team of a young generation of hot-blooded Kenyans not so much bound by imperialist concerns. The implication here is that the US government is committed to maintaining the Status quo where the old guard has been ruling and playing ball to ensure that the political, economic and strategic interests of American imperialism are safe guarded. To let in a group of new comers led by “A Communist” Odinga is the last development the US government wanted in Kenya. In congratulating Kibaki in the face of rigged elections, could the US government have been afraid of a “generational change” in Kenya’s political leadership?
BRITAIN AND UNITED STATES SHOULD CHANGE SYNTAX
The immature position of the US government has greatly backfired because it has reduced to almost zero the ability of the US government to play a role or even influence events in the current crisis.
Mass action called by ODM will be a major destabilizing force to the Kenyan economy which Kibaki needs to hang on to power. However, the biggest loser will be Western Imperialism also responsible for the ultimate milking of the country resources through multinational companies, unfair terms of trade, political control, unequal lending terms through economic weapons like IMF and World Bank, support of dictators like Moi and now Kibaki and exploitation of the country’s natural and human resources.
If the leading Imperialist countries in Kenya – United States and Britain – cannot take a clear stand that is in line with the popular aspiration of millions of Kenyans who voted for change, they will continue to become irrelevant in the search for solutions to the crisis.
If these countries are in need of serious advice, a recounting or tallying of the vote has become outdated because of tampering by the fake government and other malpractices. The option of a Government of National Unity or a Coalition government between the robbed and the robber is as dead as a dodo.
What is selling is that Kibaki should step down. If the Britons and the Americans are wise enough, they should be calling for a re-run of the Presidential vote. They should also change their syntax and replace the phrase “There were irregularities during the tallying process” with “The votes were clearly stolen by Kibaki who should step down”.
If there is anybody who should be “talking to one another”, it is the Brits and the Yankees who should be discussing the horrendous mistakes they made soon after vote stealing in Kenya as they prepare to make amends which could sound more appealing to the Kenyan voters who feel cheated and who are paying with life and blood to try and reverse the process.
Both Britain and their Yankee counterparts should begin to view and accept Raila as President of Kenya if they want to be on the safe side because the issue is not going away “as had been expected”.
At least, the Brits are showing the way because they have made the first step and said that they do not recognize Kibaki’s government. That is the stuff ODM supporters (who control the streets) would like to hear because it is the way forward.
Okoth Osewe
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