Clinton warns Kenya on cost of election unrest
* More than 1,200 killed in bloody 2007 vote
* Kenyan president, prime minister were main rivals then
* Clinton says violence cost Kenyan economy about $1 bln
* Kenyan judiciary revamped to mediate poll disputes
By Andrew Quinn
NAIROBI, Aug 4 (Reuters) – U.S. Secretary of State Hillary
Clinton urged Kenya on Saturday to hold free and fair elections
and be a role model for Africa, underlining the need to avoid
the bloodshed and economic loss suffered during the last vote
five years ago.
The general election next March will be the first since a
disputed poll in 2007 that set off a politically based ethnic
slaughter in which more than 1,200 people were killed.
“We urge that the nation come together and prepare for
elections which will be a real model for the entire world,”
Clinton told reporters in Nairobi.
She met President Mwai Kibaki, who is barred by law from
seeking a third term, and Prime Minister Raila Odinga, who leads
in opinion polls in the race to replace him.
The two were the main rivals in the disputed presidential
poll, when then opposition leader Odinga accused Kibaki of
stealing the vote.
Gangs faced off with machetes and clubs, and security forces
opened fire on the streets, until mediator Kofi Annan brokered a
power-sharing pact between Kibaki and Odinga that ended the
violence and made Odinga prime minister.
Before meeting with members of Kenya’s election commission,
Clinton told reporters that in her talks with Kibaki she had
stressed “the importance of the importance of a credible,
transparent, free and fair election process.”
Clinton warned of the cost of another botched election,
urging the government and civil society to work together.
“On the other hand the unrest that can result from a
disputed election has a terrible cost both in lives lost and in
economic impact,” she said.
“The instability that followed the last election cost the
Kenyan economy by most estimates more than one billion dollars.”
Launching a seven-nation Africa tour in Senegal on
Wednesday, Clinton urged
You can read the rest of this article at:: http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/08/04/kenya-clinton-idUSL6E8J44JB20120804
Short URL: http://thepresidency.us/?p=18985
Posted by RobertButler
on Aug 4 2012. Filed under 2012 Presidential Campaign.
You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0.
You can leave a response or trackback to this entry
