Rob Macaire

UK and Kenya- Replies to some points made

Some thoughtful and thought-provoking comments on my last post.  A couple of them ask questions:

First, Iqbal Halani asks about a Special Tribunal as proposed in the Waki Commission as against the alternative idea of a tribunal set up under existing mechanisms.   It's up to Kenyans to decide what route they want to take towards justice for the post-election violence.  But as far as we are concerned, we remain strong supporters of the National Accord process, of which the Waki Commission was a key part.  And one of the key conclusions of that Commission was that any judicial process was going to have to be credible and independent.  That's why it recommended a tribunal anchored in the constitution.  Would an alternative that is under the existing structures be credible?  Judging by the fact that most Kenyans seem to harbour doubts about even the stronger, Waki version, I can't imagine that a weaker one would be acceptable to many people.  What do you think?

Second, let me answer Alexander's question about the links with the case brought by veterans of Mau Mau.  I think it is absolutely right to point out that transitional justice mechanisms need to link back to history.  At a time when Kenya is setting up a TJRC to look at injustices since independence, it's perhaps a good moment to look back before that, to the colonial period also.  We certainly don't want to impede that debate, and we think it's important to have an open discussion, including of Mau Mau and the Emergency period.  I am afraid that I'm going to duck for now the invitation to make a statement about the case itself: I don't know the details of the claims, so it is difficult to comment in any detail, and since these are before the courts, that's the right place for the discussion to happen.   But a couple of general points:  as I said to the representatives of the Mau Mau veterans when I met them before they left for the UK, I believe that everyone who thinks they have a justifiable claim should have access to the courts to have it heard.  I have faith in the High Court in London to hear it impartially, and of course the British Government will abide by the outcome.  And although I am not sure how much prospect they have of actually winning their case, I don't think it is unhelpful to shine a spotlight on what has happened in in the past, including in the Emergency period which brought a great deal of suffering to people on all sides.

And thirdly, I apologise for not answering earlier Mary Onyango's question about the health sector. Health is, indeed, essential for development.  DFID is funding on average £28 million per year on health and AIDS work, particularly malaria control.  The UK is a development partner in the health sector and we engage in a variety of policy and strategy consultation mechanisms.  We work with civil society as well as government, and concentrate our work in areas of high vulnerability.  We have funded the distribution of 14 million anti malarial bednets to date and provide around 30 million condoms per year.
Of course, there is always more to do.  For another example of our work, see my blog  on a military medical exercise last month.

ends

Posted at 08:18 01 July 2009 by Rob Macaire  |  Comments[0]

UK and Kenya -Geneva Conference on Kenya

Today I am writing from Geneva, where Kofi Annan is hosting a conference to learn lessons from the Kenya crisis a year ago, and the National Accord that brought it to an end.   It’s a serious occasion, with a lot of the people who were involved in the negotiations, including from the ‘Serena team’, and representatives from civil society, media and the international community who all played a role a year ago.   Many speakers today have highlighted the concern of Kenyans about the stalling of crucial reforms, and people’s anger about the lack of action to deal with corruption.  Kofi Annan summed up a lot of people’s feelings when he said that ‘the time to act is now – signing an agreement is the easy part’.  Hopefully tomorrow’s sessions will get into more detail about implementation, including on the fundamental issues of constitutional reform, and a tribunal to seek justice for crimes committed in the post-election violence.   No-one here is under any illusion about the scale of the challenges facing Kenya.   I hope this conference will play a part in uniting all players (government, civil society, the international community) in a sense of direction and urgency.

Rob

Posted at 08:48 31 March 2009 by Rob Macaire  |  Comments[2]

UK and Kenya

Hello, and welcome to this new blog. I’m delighted to say that lots of British diplomats from the Foreign Secretary to British Embassy colleagues in Harare and other parts of the world are now blogging: I’m pleased to be one of them.

In this blog I’ll be talking about some of the things that are high on the agenda for ordinary Kenyans, and for those of us who are friends of Kenya. Things like the economic situation, governance and the fight against corruption. And also trade and investment, development co-operation, and threats from crime, terrorism and regional instability. But what do you want me to cover?. Blogging allows for a two way conversation, unlike mainstream media.  We want to learn from your perspectives and ideas.  And I hope this blog will help you understand our approach and contribute to the debate about foreign policy.  I’ll look to respond to your common ideas, comments and questions.

I’ve been British High Commissioner in Kenya for about five months now. I have met a huge range of people in this fascinating, welcoming country. But I hope that by using this tool I can reach more, and above all hear views from a wider range of people (and for those of us using local internet connections, let’s hope for improvement in the speed and ease of connectivity!).

Let me say at the start that my blog won’t get into issues of Kenyan party politics. That’s not my job. But when it comes to the reform agenda that the government signed up to in the National Accord  a year ago, we in the UK, like others in the international community, have been strong supporters. We’ll continue to do what we can to help it stay on course. Because we believe that it’s not only a unique opportunity, but it’s absolutely essential if this country is to be saved from a return to the chaos of early 2008.

So when we see it going off track, as it seems to have done with the failure to create an independent tribunal into the post-election violence as recommended in the Waki report, we will say so. Like other heads of mission with whom I made a joint statement about this,  I think that an independent  tribunal with an international prosecutor and judges and strong witness protection systems would be a good way to get justice for the victims of that violence, and deter people from repeating it.  The ICC in The Hague is another route for seeking justice, but  not without its drawbacks.  But I know lots of people think differently.  What do you think?

Posted at 11:29 17 March 2009 by Rob Macaire  |  Comments[20]