US VP sees Kenya reforms success

United States Vice President Joe Biden confers with President Kibaki as Prime Minister Raila Odinga (left) and Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka (right) look on June 8, 2010. Mr Biden said the US was optimistic that Kenya’s reform process will be a success. Photo/ HEZRON NJOROGE

By DAVE OPIYO
Posted Tuesday, June 8 2010 at 13:32

United States Vice President Joe Biden has said he is optimistic that Kenya’s reform process will be successfully concluded.

Mr Biden said the US wants to see Kenya conduct a peaceful referendum that will leave the country united.

“We encourage the reform process. We want to see the country grow. Kenya’s best days are yet to come,” he said during a press briefing at State House, Nairobi Tuesday after holding talks with President Kibaki and Prime Minister Raila Odinga.

The US VP said he was impressed by the relationship between the two principals saying if they kept the reform agenda burning Kenya would definitely prosper.

Mr Biden restated the US Government’s commitment to working closely with Kenya to deepen democracy and strengthen the rule of law in the country.

“We reaffirmed our commitment to advancing the projects for peaceful and prosperous future for Kenya,” he said.

Proper governance

But, he warned that the US would only consider increasing their investment in Kenya if there is proper governance.

President Kibaki said Kenya appreciates United States’ help in the agriculture, health and security sector and urged for increased support in water, transport, energy and housing.

Mr Biden also said that the US will help Kenya in securing her borders especially with Somalia, where piracy and the threat of Islamic militia are thorny issues. He said that Kenya was an important destination in the region and its security was paramount.

“Stabilisation of Somalia is a high priority in our common efforts to secure regional peace and stability. Both the United States and Kenya are concerned about the growing acts of piracy off the coast of Somalia, and the instability caused in Somalia by extremist groups.

“This matter must be addressed with greater urgency. We have asked the US Government to provide leadership to forge a concerted international effort to stabilise Somalia,” said President Kibaki.

He said that he will deliver a keynote address to Kenyans on Wednesday.

Present during the meeting were Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka, Deputy PM’s Musalia Mudavadi and Uhuru Kenyatta.

Cabinet ministers George Saitoti (Internal Security), Sally Kosgei (Agriculture), Moses Wetangula (Foreign), Mutula Kilonzo (Justice) and Head of Public Service Francis Muthaura were also present.

The US Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Johnnie Carson and ambassador Michael Ranneberger also attended the meeting.

source.nation.ke

How Kenya was given its name

By Kiundu Waweru

Kenya was initially known as the British East Africa Protectorate, or British East Africa and it was not until 1920 that it was officially named Kenya.

Parts of history has it that the name Kenya was coined from the Kamba language pronunciation of Mt Kenya’s traditional name, Kirinyaga and Kinyaa.

The mountain, from afar, appeared black on side and white on its snow-capped glaciers and thus they named it kii nyaa (the place of the male ostrich) which is black and white as compared to the gray female.

According to the Nairobi Railway Museum curator, Maurice Barasa, others believe the name Kenya came from Kirinyaga which means a place with white spots.

The rich Kenyan history to be found in the Nairobi Railway Museum contains memorabilia, maps and photos commemorating the first days of the construction of the railway from Mombasa to Kisumu.

The first steam engine trains are exhibited in the open air at the museum, visible from Uhuru Highway.

Rail coaches

Interesting bits of history on one of the coaches state that colonial superintendent of police, Charles Ryall was killed by a man-eating lion at Kima Station.

Other artifacts include train seats and utensils used by Queen Elizabeth in her royal train in East Africa during 1950s.

source.standard.ke

US-Kenya trade equation needs balancing

The visit by US Vice-President Joe Biden has been linked to the current debate on the Proposed Constitution, with some even claiming it amounts to an endorsement of the draft law.

Others say Biden’s presence is a chance for Kenya to seek US help in solving a growing problem for the region in the shape of Somalia. In other words, in exchange for Kenya’s solidarity with the US over its “war on terror”, the Americans should reciprocate by being more supportive of efforts aimed at ending instability in the neighbouring war-torn country. The truth is somewhere in between.

Yes, the US does want to see a new constitution in place, but is not keen on taking sides in the current campaign for or against the draft, for obvious reasons. And much as America is keen on keeping Kenya as an ally in its “war on terror”, it is also wary of China’s growing influence in Africa.

The reason more young people are turning to crime or getting radicalised by wayward clerics and enlisted into terror cells is because they have nothing else to turn to. Jobless and without hope, they are opting for a quick fix.

In any case, Somalia is just one of the countries directly bordering Kenya that is plagued by incessant conflict. Others are Sudan and Ethiopia.

Both the World Bank and the Kenya Government are happy to predict economic growth this year of over four per cent. Those figures are meaningless to millions of jobless Kenyan youth who see no future except in the quick returns guaranteed by crime.

Fatal flaws

US State Department reports paint a grim picture of the Horn of Africa used as points for recruiting youth into militias and terrorist cells. What stands out is that most of those recruited are often from dirt-poor backgrounds.

Kenya is particularly vulnerable due to its long and poorly policed borders with countries beset by conflict and lawlessness.

These include Somalia, Sudan and Ethiopia, countries where the central governments have little sway in far-flung provinces.

One of the fatal flaws of the eight-year George W Bush presidency and previous US Republican governments was their unwavering belief that they could resolve conflicts solely with overwhelming deployment American military power.

Overwhelming it may be, but as Iraq has shown, while the US military complex can pound opponents into submission, it comes at high cost and does not always achieve the desired results.

If things were different, the billions of dollars already spent by the US Central Intelligence Agency and Federal Bureau of Investigation to set up listening posts and information and supply networks for its allies, would have certainly turned things round in Somalia by now.

Kenya’s economy must start generating much-needed jobs for the youth, to keep them off the streets. The ready and growing army of unemployed, many with university and college training, and who have lost faith in their government, is the bedrock of Kenya’s soaring crime rate.

This visit by the second most powerful man in the US should thus be seen as a chance to begin engaging America on the need to increase its support through the World Bank and USAid, for example, to sectors of the economy that can create the much needed jobs.

Also opening up its market to more Kenyan goods would be a good starting point. Despite China’s growth, America’s is still the biggest consumer market in the world. It is also the most difficult for Kenyan exporters to penetrate, due to a solid phalanx of regulations that ultimately protect US farmers from foreign competition.

Closing markets

Despite the emergence of telecommunications and retail sectors as drivers of the Kenyan economy, agriculture is still the biggest industry here, with the horticulture sub-sector emerging strongest.

The African Growth and Opportunity Act, signed into law 10 years ago, did much to encourage African countries to open their economies and build free markets.

Unfortunately, while Africa was opening up its markets, the US and several European countries have been closing theirs, especially in the wake of the recent global financial crisis.

source.standard.ke