KENYA: SCENESETTER FOR CODEL DREIER

UNCLAS NAIROBI 002755 SIPDIS SIPDIS H FOR MATTHEW RENOLDS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL PGOV PTER PHUM KE SUBJECT: KENYA: SCENESETTER FOR CODEL DREIER ¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY: Welcome to Kenya, a country that stands out among African nations as a country of special interest to the United States. With substantial existing infrastructure, a well-educated work force and a diverse economy, Kenya could become East Africa's engine for economic growth. In a test of Kenya's electoral maturity, a first-ever constitutional referendum was conducted in November 2005, the results of which demonstrated that voters could freely express their opposition to a government initiative. These positive elements, however, are tempered by ongoing high-level corruption and internal political rivalries that have dramatically slowed some areas of our bilateral cooperation and Kenya's own economic development. Years of ecological mismanagement have put Kenya on the brink of an ecological catastrophe that will reverberate through the economy and will impact issues as diverse as health care and regional stability. ¶2. (U) In spite of a sense of gloom on the macro level, there have been significant advances in some sectors. Impressive results under the President's Emergency Program for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) include increasing the numbers of U.S.-supported anti-retroviral (ART) treatment sites from three to over 180 in under two years, improving the quality of treatment, and achieving a 100-fold increase in the number of Kenyans on ART in the 24 months since the PEPFAR scale-up began. The Government of Kenya progressed in the area of economic reform, passing two critical reform bills central to our economic advocacy. Our environmental activities, conducted in collaboration with other donors, have increased the number of Kenyans using sustainable land management practices. Our strong support of Kenya's long-standing partnership with the African Contingency Operations Training Assistance Program (ACOTA) will continue to enhance Kenya's capacity to contribute to multi-national peace support missions in Africa. END SUMMARY. -------------- Terrorism -------------- ¶3. (SBU) Terrorism looms largest on our bilateral agenda with the Government of Kenya. The bombing of our Embassy on August 7, 1998 and the subsequent November 2002 terrorist attacks on an Israeli-owned hotel and Israeli chartered aircraft within Kenya have been linked to Al-Qaeda, which retains the ability to operate in and around Kenya. Kenya's posture in the war on terrorism is, unfortunately, not as favorable as in the past. The Government of Kenya still has not established the necessary legal tools nor organized a joint task force of police and prosecutors, despite significant U.S. financial support. Nevertheless, we have had some modest successes. We have provided training to the Department of Public Prosecutions and airport security staff. We have established a coastal security program, combining the efforts of RSO (DS/ATA),KUSLO, DAO, and the Economic and Political sections, that promises to improve Kenya's capacity to secure its extensive coastline. Cooperation within the Mission and with the Kenyan Government on this program is excellent and should serve as a model for such multi-sectoral projects. However, without an overarching Kenyan counter-terrorism strategy and legal framework, our efforts will carry on in a piecemeal fashion and will lack the impact of a fully integrated program. Military aspects of our counter-terrorism activities, particularly training, suffered a loss of funds due to Kenya's failure to conclude an Article 98 agreement. CJTF-HOA Civil Affairs teams have been active in Kenya since 2003, providing humanitarian assistance and supporting development projects throughout North Eastern Kenya and Coast province. -------------- Political Overview -------------- ¶4. (U) Kenya's democratic development continued to falter in ¶2005. Campaigns for and against the draft constitution descended into ethnic animosities, and the Government used substantial incentives in its (unsuccessful) attempts to lure voters to support the draft. The brightest spot in the referendum process was the affirmation of the independence and effectiveness of the Electoral Commission of Kenya (ECK), but this body is likely to come under increasing pressure in the run-up to the 2007 elections. Coverage of the referendum and high-level corruption, and professional organization of broadcast debates, demonstrated the growing maturity and professionalism of the media sector. Individuals at the highest levels of government turned a deaf ear to most accusations of corruption, closing their ranks in an effort to protect themselves from legal action or political fall-out. ¶5. (SBU) Media freedom in the country suffered a set-back when the police carried out a midnight raid the Standard Media House in March 2006 citing national security concerns, destroying and confiscating property and setting the day's newsprint ablaze. Also troubling for Kenyans is the still unfolding mystery of two so-called "Armenian" brothers whose purpose for being in the country is unclear but widely thought to be illegal. Following a serious security breach in early June 2006 involving the brothers at Kenya's main airport, it has been alleged that the two are connected to and supported by politically powerful individuals. The subsequent power struggle ensuing between the Executive and Parliament to control inquiry into the mystery surrounding the pair amply demonstrates the limitations the Executive continues to place on the Legislature's powers. -------------- Economic Overview -------------- ¶6. (U) The Kenyan economy grew by 5.8 percent in 2005. This modest expansion is fairly broad-based, and is built on the resilience, resourcefulness, and improved confidence of the private sector. Growth at this rate, however, will never pull the vast majority of Kenyans out of poverty. To realize its economic potential, Kenya will need to rebuild the country's decrepit infrastructure, reform the telecommunications sector, off-load failed parastatals, deregulate the economy, and improve economic governance generally (see below). The Privatization Act, passed in 2005, should enable privatization's to occur more easily and rapidly, but implementation of the Act has yet to begin. Kenya continues to benefit from the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA),but must diversify out of the apparel industry if it hopes to avoid losing out to its global competitors. ¶7. (U) Kenya has been impacted by on-going drought conditions, and significant portions of the population will likely require emergency food assistance in the coming year, as they did in 2005. -------------- Corruption -------------- ¶8. (U) Corruption is the greatest challenge facing the Kenyan economy. In the first year after taking office, the new government took some bold action, including passing state of the art anti-corruption legislation and removing nearly half of the country's judges following allegations of corruption. However, the momentum of those early actions has been largely squandered and there have been virtually no prosecutions of senior officials from either the former or the current regime for corruption, despite ample evidence of wrongdoing in both cases and mass public outcry, in particular following the publication of reports in early 2006 detailing the extent of the rot. ¶9. (SBU) Failure by the Executive to take serious action on a number of recent cases involving breach of security and corruption allegations have seen an increase in the number of committees taking up investigations into corruption scandals. Parliament has also questioned the effectiveness of the anti-corruption institutions, and several committee chairs expressed interest in conducting a workshop where all anti-corruption institutions, key executive representatives, and MPs will meet to review their performance and discuss the challenges they face in their work. The growing assertiveness of Parliament and the fact that MPs are taking their watchdog role more seriously have alarmed the Executive, which is now accusing Parliament of overstepping its mandate. ¶10. (SBU) Confronting corruption in the government is a high priority for the U.S. Mission in Kenya, as our initiatives on all fronts are frustrated by malfeasance and mismanagement. Although the Government's rhetoric has improved, corruption remains pervasive at all levels. Government reform efforts have been disappointing, but we are encouraged that Kenya's press, civil society, Parliament, and general public have shown that they will not suffer quietly while the country's coffers are emptied. Recent corruption scandals (commonly referred to by the name of the fictitious financial corporation involved - i.e., Anglo-Leasing) are noteworthy not only because they signify the continuation of high-level corruption within the current regime, but also because their revelation (by an opposition MP and the press) signifies a more open climate for public criticism in Kenya. -------------- Environment: Amboseli -------------- ¶11. (SBU) On September 28, 2005, the Minister for Tourism and Wildlife published a legal notice, which changed the status of Amboseli National Park to a National Reserve. This meant that the management of the park would be removed from the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) and placed under the authority of Kajiado County Council. The move is a controversial one, coming at a time when it could only be construed as a desperate political maneuver to gain support for the proposed constitution, and may have jeopardized the KWS's revenue base and its momentum for effective reform. One of the most pressing worries concerning the change in control over Amboseli's management, is whether the Council will be able to enforce the current practice of minimal livestock grazing within the park. The Amboseli move is a dangerous precedent, possibly clearing the way for more of the kind of land grabbing and gifting that characterized the economically disastrous Moi era. If the Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife can unilaterally degazette a park, it, or other ministries, could claim the authority to create new public land designations without the input of local communities or wider stakeholders and without observing the rule of law. ¶12. (U) In October 2005, a group of Kenyan civil society and tourism associations successfully applied for and were granted a Court Injunction stopping the County Council and the Government of Kenya from acting on Legal Notice 120 until the case is determined by the High Court. The first full proper Hearing will be held in the High Court on July 14, 2006 to determine whether the Government acted illegally in moving to degazette the Park in the way it did. In the interim, KWS remains in full management control of the park. -------------- HIV/AIDS and the President's Emergency Plan -------------- ¶13. (U) The President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief achieved impressive advances in 2005. Kenya this year had the largest single-country PEPFAR program in the world. Five Mission elements coordinated their activities to implement nearly USD141 million worth of activities in the areas of prevention, treatment and care in 2005. Thanks in part to our efforts with our Kenyan partners, the HIV prevalence rate among 15-19 year old women declined from 7 percent to 6.7 percent. PEPFAR funding made possible anti-retroviral treatment (ART) for 34,913 Kenyans, an increase from our starting point of 389 individuals. This translates into 72 more Kenyans starting ART every day. The Mission is implementing a USD208 million PEPFAR program for 2006 and is actively planning a USD324 million program for 2007. -------------- Somalia -------------- ¶14. (U) Kenya took the lead, through the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD),in the Somali National Reconciliation Conference that took place over 23 months in Kenya. Since the conclusion of this conference, Kenya has remained active in supporting the strengthening of the institutions which emerged from the conference. A Somali Transitional Federal Assembly, President, and Government have been established and in the past three months have begun work in earnest, but remain extremely fragile. A union of Islamic courts has taken control of Mogadishu. Many members of this union are moderates, but a handful of courts that have been driving the agenda are linked to known extremists. Somali pirates operating off coast of Somalia have attacked cargo and cruise ships alike, prompting U.S. military attention to the threat posed to international shipping. ¶15. (U) Without sustained stability in Somalia, our anti-terrorism activities throughout the Horn of Africa will be continuously undermined. Establishment of democratic institutions will be critical to ensuring long-term peace and eventual economic development. Stability will also enable us to engage more broadly and effectively with communities inside Somalia. ROWE