Wednesday
Feb062008
House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa and Global Health Hears Testimony Regarding the Violence in Kenya
Wednesday, February 6, 2008 at 3:59PM
The House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa and Global Health
heard testimony today regarding the political crisis in Kenya.
The 2007 elections in Kenya went quite well, with 87% voter turnout.
However, it soon became clear that the tally process was rigged and
the true outcome of the election would never be known. Â Incumbent
president Mwai Kibaki was declared the victor, despite indications
that opposition leader Raila Odinga had been ahead by 376,000 votes
and the fact that Odinga's party won 56 more parliamentary seats than
Kibaki's. This breakdown in democracy sparked widespread violence that
has seen at least 1,000 deaths, 300,000 people displaced, and is still
unfolding.
As testified by James Swan, Deputy Assistant Secretary for African
Affairs, the U.S. government recognized the "official" election
results and greeted Kibaki as the rightful president, a move now
viewed as overly hasty possibly ill-advised. The elections had
appeared free and fair to international observers up to the point of
the tally and, because Kenya had been showing strong, steady
development in democracy, the international community expected no
dramatic departures from this trend.
Panelists Ms. Njoki N'Dungu, former member of Kenya's Parliament, and
Mr. Maina Kiai, Chairman of Kenya's National Commission on Human
Rights, emphasized the need for U.S. support for democracy and
stability in the region, while stressing the importance of acting in
concert with the UN and the UK, the former colonial power in the
region.
Chairman Donald Payne (D-NJ) and the panelists highlighted the fact
that the violence in Kenya is motivated by economics and politics,
rather than ethnic conflict. Kenya has a high degree of income
inequality and democracy was proving a vehicle for correcting that,
until the failure of the election led to the current widespread
violence, rape, and impoverishment.
H 238 will be considered this afternoon and will call for a peaceful
resolution to the crisis in Kenya, condemn the violence, and call for
President Bush to consider an asset freeze for senior party officials
who do not move toward resolution.
heard testimony today regarding the political crisis in Kenya.
The 2007 elections in Kenya went quite well, with 87% voter turnout.
However, it soon became clear that the tally process was rigged and
the true outcome of the election would never be known. Â Incumbent
president Mwai Kibaki was declared the victor, despite indications
that opposition leader Raila Odinga had been ahead by 376,000 votes
and the fact that Odinga's party won 56 more parliamentary seats than
Kibaki's. This breakdown in democracy sparked widespread violence that
has seen at least 1,000 deaths, 300,000 people displaced, and is still
unfolding.
As testified by James Swan, Deputy Assistant Secretary for African
Affairs, the U.S. government recognized the "official" election
results and greeted Kibaki as the rightful president, a move now
viewed as overly hasty possibly ill-advised. The elections had
appeared free and fair to international observers up to the point of
the tally and, because Kenya had been showing strong, steady
development in democracy, the international community expected no
dramatic departures from this trend.
Panelists Ms. Njoki N'Dungu, former member of Kenya's Parliament, and
Mr. Maina Kiai, Chairman of Kenya's National Commission on Human
Rights, emphasized the need for U.S. support for democracy and
stability in the region, while stressing the importance of acting in
concert with the UN and the UK, the former colonial power in the
region.
Chairman Donald Payne (D-NJ) and the panelists highlighted the fact
that the violence in Kenya is motivated by economics and politics,
rather than ethnic conflict. Kenya has a high degree of income
inequality and democracy was proving a vehicle for correcting that,
until the failure of the election led to the current widespread
violence, rape, and impoverishment.
H 238 will be considered this afternoon and will call for a peaceful
resolution to the crisis in Kenya, condemn the violence, and call for
President Bush to consider an asset freeze for senior party officials
who do not move toward resolution.
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