TERRORISM TRIALS: SUGGESTED LETTER FROM SECRETARY

C O N F I D E N T I A L NAIROBI 002519 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/13/2015 TAGS: PREL PTER PGOV PHUM KISL ASEC CASC KE SUBJECT: TERRORISM TRIALS: SUGGESTED LETTER FROM SECRETARY TO FORMIN REF: A. A) NAIROBI 2409 ¶B. B) NAIROBI 2071 ¶C. C) NAIROBI 1947 Classified By: Charge d'Affairs a.i. Leslie V. Rowe for reasons 1.4 (b, d) ¶1. (C) In the wake of the June 9 ruling in the Kikambala murder trials reftels Post believes a display of high-level interest from Washington would be useful for advancing our counter-terrorism objectives in Kenya. Post proposes that the Secretary send a letter to her counterpart, Foreign Minister Chirau Ali Mwakwere. Following is a draft text of a letter for the Department's consideration. ¶2. (SBU) BEGIN TEXT: Dear Minister Mwakwere: I have followed closely the developments and recent outcome of the murder trial linked to the 2002 Kikambala terror attacks. Please express my heartfelt sympathy to victims of the attack and their families, as their desire for justice remains unfulfilled. The U.S. Government believes that all those guilty of planning or perpetrating acts of terror must one day be brought to justice. The ruling in the murder trial suggests inadequacies in Kenya's ability to investigate and prosecute terrorism cases, and this has considerable impact on the country's future security. The Kikambala murder trial highlights areas that must be improved upon within Kenya's security, prosecutorial, and investigative services. Moreover, it underscores the need for heightened inter-ministerial cooperation when undertaking the investigation and prosecution of terrorism. For the sake of the victims of Kikambala, more must be done. We stand by Kenya in its efforts to further safeguard its national security. The U.S. Government has already offered assistance in the anti-terrorism arena, most notably the US$10 million of support my government is providing to your Government's Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF),which was created to help address the critical issue of inter-ministerial cooperation. The United States of America is prepared to assist Kenya in preventing future attacks, as well as investigating and prosecuting successful or attempted acts of terrorism. As has been noted several times of late in the Kenyan media, the Kikambala murder trial also points out the need for appropriate legislation to cover acts of terrorism. As you are aware, Kenya has not yet fulfilled its international obligation under UNSCR 1373 and similar commitments to the Africa Union to ensure that terrorist acts are established as serious criminal offences in its domestic laws. I urge you to use the momentum provided by the recent trial to quickly review the draft bill, seriously study inputs from knowledgeable civil society groups, and pass the appropriate legislation. Kenya remains one of our closest friends and allies on the African continent. We suffered together through the horrific events of 1998. I look forward to continuing our close cooperation in order to ensure that Kenya never again has to suffer from terrorism. (END TEXT) ROWE