US Secretary of State John Kerry has promised that his country will continue its long standing relationship with Kenya, following the election of Uhuru Kenyatta as the fourth President of the African nation.
'We stand with you at this historic moment and will continue to be a strong friend and ally of the Kenyan people,' Kerry said in a statement Saturday.
'I want to congratulate the people of Kenya for voting peacefully on 4 March and all those elected to office,' Kerry said, without making any direct mention of the President.
The US statement is significant because ahead of the elections, Washington had warned Kenya that choices have consequences, in an apparent reference to Kenyatta's indictment by the International Criminal Court (ICC) at the Hague, over the post-2007 election violence that killed over 1,000 and displaced 600,000.
Kerry also praised Kenyans who turned up across the country to vote, saying: ' I am inspired by the overwhelming desire of Kenyans to peacefully make their voices heard, and I applaud the patience they have shown as votes were tallied. Foremost in our minds is a desire to see the will of the Kenyan people expressed freely and fairly.'
The US Secretary of State strongly urged all parties and their supporters to peacefully address, through the Kenyan legal system, any disputes following Saturday's announcement of the presidential result by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission.
'These elections are an historic opportunity for the people of Kenya to come together to build a better future. Since its independence in 1963, Kenya has been one of America's strongest and most enduring partners in Africa.'
Pana 10/03/2013