Raila defends pace of Kenya's reforms

The Prime Minister on Sunday defended the government’s performance at length during a breakfast meeting with a top advisory organ – the National Economic and Social Council – and the Media Owners Association at KICC in Nairobi.

“We do not want patronage but rather need partnership. We are in dialogue and, as always, ready to listen,” said Mr Odinga. The PM was speaking a day after the British government said it has a list of 20 influential personalities who are banned from travelling to the UK over alleged involvement in serious corruption.

Last week, the US government sent 15 letters to Kenyan top officials warning them of possible travel bans if they did not cooperate in instituting reforms. President Kibaki has since written a protest letter to President Obama.

Chief mediator Kofi Annan is expected in Kenya on Sunday to review the progress the government has made on agreed reforms. “I will be meeting Annan and we will be exchanging notes on various issues that affect the country,” Mr Odinga said.

The PM added that Mr Annan will be presented with a progress report on what has been achieved.

Special tribunal

International Criminal Court prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo is also expected in Kenya in a couple of weeks after the September 30 deadline elapsed without the country setting up the proposed special tribunal to try suspects of post-election violence.

The government has failed to clinch the support of Parliament to push for the establishment of the tribunal which would see more suspects tried, unlike the ICC which concentrates on the big fish. On Saturday, Mr Odinga defended the government on reforms progress saying they were taking place but in an orderly manner.

“Reforms should be done in a constructive and structural manner. Already we have put up committees and other organisations that are working towards that direction,” he said. He noted the disbanding of the Electoral Commission of Kenya and the setting up of the Independent Interim Electoral Commission as a major step in reforms.

“We also have the boundaries commission, committee of experts looking into the constitution and the police task force. Our score card is clear” he added. Mr Odinga noted that the government had already started implementing some of the recommendations by the police task force.

Separately, Attorney-General Amos Wako said Mr Annan’s visit was not meant to threaten and intimidate the government. Speaking to journalists during the flagging off of Kenya Paraplegic Organisation Walk in Nairobi on Saturday, the AG said Dr Annan’s visit was part of the routine check-ups that mediators carry out to establish progress of their talks.

“Mediators have the obligation of carrying out reviews of progress made concerning their talks after every three months and this is what Dr Annan will be here to do. He wants to check on how far we have gone in the implementation of the agreement,” he said.

Mr Annan is expected to engage the government, lobby groups, religious groups and the business community on the progress made concerning reforms particularly those under the Agenda Four of the National Accord. The issues to be discussed include legal, institutional and land reforms, poverty and inequality and the historical injustices that were committed in the past.

The AG said the government was treating Mr Annan’s tour as a visit by “a friend of Kenya”. He said the government was keen to implement the peace deal and so far, a lot of progress had been made. He reiterated that the implementation of the deal is in the interest of the government not as a result of external pressure.

“The government is committed to the actualisation of reforms because they are meant to benefit the country and although there is pressure from all over, we are not doing it as a result of succumbing to it,” he said. He said the slow pace in the implementation of the reforms has been as a result of the need to establish the various commissions.

“Our pace has been a bit slow because we were supposed to form various commissions to spearhead the reform process. Now that all these commissions are in place, and especially given that almost all of them are independent, we are looking forward to a speedy reform process,” he added.

“We have dealt with most of the issues we agreed to carry out except the formation special tribunal. We are however, optimistic that the Cabinet meeting this week will give the way forward concerning the manner in which this issue will be handled,” he said.

President Kibaki is scheduled to chair a Cabinet meeting this week to discuss the way forward concerning the matter as reports of sharp divisions in the Cabinet emerge.

Justice minister Mutula Kilonzo, Prime Minister and the AG have voiced support for The Hague option while Vice-President Kalonzo Musyoka, National Heritage minister William ole Ntimama and his Road counterpart Frankilin Bett support the formation of a strong Truth, Justice and Reconciliation Commission.

The Justice minister has stated that the government will not protect any minister or government official from prosecution by the ICC if he or she is indicted for instigating violence. Mr Odinga, on the other hand, last week reiterated that Kenya was a signatory to the ICC Statute and therefore it has the obligation to comply with the demand and requests from the ICC.

On his part, the AG said the government is only awaiting a formal request for assistance from the ICC in prosecuting the post-election masterminds. However, Mr Bett and Mr Ntimama have read malice in the move arguing that Mr Kilonzo in particular is out to unleash revenge on the suspects after his efforts to establish a local tribunal were frustrated by Parliament.

Mr Annan is scheduled to hold talks with President Kibaki and Prime Minister at a private luncheon in Nairobi. He will also meet the Vice-President and Justice minister later on Sunday. On September 8, President Kibaki removed Hussein Ali from his perch as police commissioner and deployed to the Postal Corporation of Kenya as the postmaster-general.