AFRICA/KENYA - Amidst drought and corruption Kenya’s political crisis deepens

Thursday, 15 July 2004

Nairobi (Fides Service) - The President of Kenya, Mwai Kibaki has warned of the threat of drought but his call was all but ignored by the local media more interested in the debate in course since the British representation accused the country’s public administration of corruption.
“The front pages of local newspapers here in Kenya today 15 July are full of the controversy with the British representative in Nairobi” an authoritative local source in Nairobi told Fides. “The President’s appeal is on the inside pages”. On July 14 in a dramatic media conference in Nairobi President Kibaki called on international donors to provide immediate aid to prevent what he termed a “national catastrophe”. According to the head of state vast areas of Kenya are affected by drought and 3.3 million people are at risk. The President told donor countries that Kenya needs an estimated 156.000 tons of food about 76 million dollars worth and some 32 million dollars worth of non food aid.
“The threat of drought is serious. Outside the capital, Nairobi, it has not rained for months” Fides sources confirmed. “For the moment the situation is under control. But the tragedy is round the corner. In a few months time millions of people will be affected by food shortage. Official sources say that in 5 of Kenya’s 7 Provinces harvests are 60% less than last year”.
Into this context falls the controversy with the British representative who charged the Kenyan government with corruption and wasting aid donated by the international community. “Corruption is a problem but we need to distinguish between the responsibility of the government and conditions determined by nature: drought exists. Corruption can aggravate the situation if it leads to a diversion of funds but it is not the cause of the situation” the sources told Fides.
The election of Kibaki, in December 2002 stirred great hope in Kenya, mainly hope to see the end of the power system installed by the former President Arap Moi who governed the country for decades. “Although President and government have changed, the public officials and administrators are the same as in Moi’s time” the sources told Fides. “And sad to say neither have corrupt practices changed ”.
Kenya also faces a political crisis with regard to reforms in the Constitution. Recently in the western Kenyan town of Kisumu, the third largest town, there were clashes between demonstrators calling for immediate application of the reforms and the police (see Fides 9 July 2004). (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides 15/7/2004 righe 35 parole 448)


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