Kenya MP withdraws motion to censure US envoy

A motion to censure Mr Michael Ranneberger, the United States ambassador to Kenya, and to have the American government recall him, has been withdrawn from Parliament.

Imenti North MP Silas Ruteere was forced to withdraw the motion he brought before the House last December in the morning after he realised a majority of MPs would not support it.

Debate on the motion was interrupted on December 22 and resumed in the morning, and there were signs it was headed for defeat as each contributor tore into it.

Acting Foreign Affairs minister Prof George Saitoti said Kenya would address the MPs’ concerns on Mr Ranneberger through diplomatic channels.

He cited an incident in the 1990s where the Kenyan declared a Norwegian envoy persona non grata, which sparked off a diplomatic spat between the two countries, and asked the MPs to avoid creating a similar situation.

This moved Mr Ruteere to ask Temporary Speaker Gitobu Imanyara for leave of the House to allow the withdrawal of the motion.

“Following the government’s plan to deal with the issue through other channels, I move to withdraw the motion,” said Mr Ruteere.

Garsen MP Danson Mungatana told MPs the outspoken ambassador was doing the job he had been sent to do in Kenya in making the statements that had irked some MPs.

He said the ambassador’s support for the Constitution at the referendum was simply an extension of what the American government felt, and therefore wanted him to tell Kenyans.

“There is a duty on the ambassador, and every ambassador, to communicate his country’s position,” said Mr Mungatana.

The US currently has a travel advisory against Kenya, which warns its citizens on the risks of travelling to the country, but even this should not be a reason to seek the expulsion of the envoy, said Mr Mungatana.

“The fact that we don’t like his advice to his home country does not make him an enemy of Kenya,” the MP added.

He was supported by Saboti MP Eugene Wamalwa, who said the envoy has helped empower Kenyan youth and had through his tours around the country got to know a lot of the problems that affect ordinary citizens.

Mr Wamalwa also praised Mr Ranneberger and the US government for projects it is undertaking to empower Kenyan youth. Mr Ranneberger recently announced that Sh3.6 billion has been set aside for one this year.

He also sought to downplay the effect of leaked communication between the diplomat and his country’s Foreign Office, which came to light in cables that have been released by Wikileaks.

Cables released by the organisation last November showed Mr Ranneberger describing Kenya as a "swamp of flourishing corruption" but Mr Wamalwa said this was all “innuendo and rumour.”

The US government has since apologised for the leaked cables.

Higher Education assistant minister Kilemi Mwiria also spoke in support of the US envoy, who he said was helping keep MPs in check by speaking out against bad governance.

“Saying here that he should be removed does not mean it will happen anyway,” he added.

He also spoke of the important role played by foreign missions in helping bring about peace in Kenya to end the violence that followed the December 2007 General Election.