Saying the failure to institute key constitutional reforms has seen the country sliding back into instability, the US Amabassador to Kenya, Michael Ranneberger, has sought a meeting with President Kibaki and Prime Minister Raila Odinga to discuss the issue.
At a joint press conference with his German counterpart, Walter Lindner, the US envoy said the proposed meeting would seek to chart ways of resolving the stalemate between the grand coalition partners and forge ahead with the reform agenda.
“I have asked for a meeting next week to see how Mr Kibaki and Mr Odinga can agree on the best way to implement these reforms,” said Ranneberger.
The envoy said US President Barack Obama, who was born of a Kenyan father, is closely monitoring the developments here and “could intervene if necessary”.
The US envoy said that Obama had already sent a strong warning to Kenya that it must aggresively tackle corruption if it is to benefit from US assistance.
The two envoys, speaking at Ranneberger's residence in Nairobi, told the coalition government to put its act together to prevent the country from slipping back to the post-poll crisis it found itself in after the 2007 gen eral elections.
About 1,300 people died and 350,000 were displaced after violence erupted over the disputed 27 December general elections.
Fears about Kenya slipping back to anarchy were heightened last week when two go vernment ministers resigned.
One of them, Justice Minister Martha Karua, accused 'thugs' in the president's office of frustrating her bid to reform the judiciary, which many Kenyans believe is one of the most corrupt institutions in the country.
Karua, 51, said she found it difficult working with 'old school and old style non-reformist' leaders, while Kenyans were yearning for change and had called for reaching reforms.
“If we have one message today, it is Mr President, Mr Prime Minister get on with the reform process. Do what you said you were going to do, honour your word,” the American Ambassador said.
The envoys pointed out that Kibaki and Odinga had no choice but to nurture the coalition to its full term, saying fresh elections were not an option for Kenya.
Kenya cannot hold fresh elections now because the discredited Elections Commission of Kenya, the body that Kenyans believe rigged the elections, was disbanded and the chairman (Samuel Kivuitu) and commissioners sent home, while the rest of staff were re-deployed to the civil service.
Officials to serve in the newly-formed Interim Independent Electoral Commission of Kenya have been picked by a Parliamentary committee, but the names must be discussed, vetted and ratified by parliament which is currently on recess.
Nairobi - 11/04/2009
By David Jagongo, PANA Correspondent
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