Kenya's Speaker seeks US help in fighting graft

Kenya National Assembly Speaker, Mr Kenneth Marende. Photo/WILLIAM OERI

House Speaker Kenneth Marende has asked the US government to assist Kenya fight corruption and end the culture of impunity.

Mr Marende regretted that the country had for long been isolated and censured by the US government over its inability to tackle the increased cases of corruption, inept governance and other human rights related issues.

“We urge you to come to our aid in finding a solutions to our problems even as we take the primary responsibility to do so,” said Mr Marende, while addressing an international conference in the US.

The conference, dubbed 'Kenya on the brink; democratic renewal or deepening conflict?” has been organised by the National Endowment for Democracy, Washington DC.

“We are not prepared to have the US become part of the problem nor remain our most ardent critic because as a matter of fact, you are our brothers and sisters,” Mr Marende said.

The Speaker narrated how the bungled 2007 general elections dashed the hopes and aspirations of most of Kenyans, many of whom, according to several opinion polls, had been rated as the most optimistic people in the world.

He told the conference that the unfortunate events that followed the release of the elections results cast Kenya in bad light.

At least 1,000 people were killed and 350,000 others rendered homeless in the violence.

“These issues brought to the fore the urgent need for democratic reform. They have led to questions about Kenya, which were previously unthinkable,” he said.

He said the bungled 2007 general elections compounded by the 'comical performance’ of the now disbanded Electoral Commission of Kenya triggered off the deep-seated grievances, which came to fore the 'most despicable manner.”

“It is against this backdrop that the Kenyan citizenry had high expectations of the new Parliament,” said the Speaker.

He went on, “The failure by the Electoral Commission to conduct a credible Presidential election, the inertia by the Executive to provide unwavering leadership at the Country’s greatest hour of need and the general mistrust on the independence of the Judiciary, left Parliament the only credible institution.” Added Mr Marende, “Parliament had endeared itself to the populace and raised the bar for itself when it elected the Speaker in an unprecedented democratic manner in an open and hotly contested election.”  

The choice of the two disputing sides to hold their first meeting in Parliament before the reconciliation exercise begun attested to this trust, he said.

The Speaker praised the 10th Parliament saying its MPs had stood up to the challenge of bringing about urgent, institutional and democratic reforms required by the country.

Parliament had been responsive in addressing the reform agenda that the other arms of government had been slow to turn around.

“Parliament has discharged its mandate in consonance with spirit and intent of the Agreement of Partnership of the Coalition Government as entrenched in our Constitution,” he said.

In the last one year, MPs have passed various pieces of legislation to buttress the peace restored upon the signing of the National Accord and Reconciliation Agreement and address institutional weaknesses by setting up independent bodies to oversee electoral and constitutional review.

They include the National Cohesion and Integration and the Truth, Justice and Reconciliation Acts, which have all been passed to provide for resolving inequalities and past social injustices.

He is accompanied by MPs Gitobu Imanyara, Prof Margaret Kamar, Jeremiah Kioni, and Joseph Lekuton.