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INFO IGAD COLLECTIVE

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 NAIROBI 000153 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 2010/02/10 
TAGS: PREL KE
SUBJECT: Under Secretary Otero's Visit Pushes on Reform and Other 
Issues 
 
CLASSIFIED BY: Michael Ranneberger, Ambassador, DOS, Exec; REASON: 
1.4(D) 
 
¶1. Summary. During her January 25-28 visit, Under Secretary Otero 
advanced U.S. efforts to press for implementation of the reform 
agenda, including through meetings with President Kibaki and Prime 
Minister Odinga, and in a town hall forum at the University of 
Nairobi.  Otero covered a wide range of other issues, including 
refugees, environment, trafficking in persons, science and 
technology, youth and women's issues. End summary. 
 
 
 
¶2. During her January 25-28 visit to Kenya, Under Secretary for 
Democracy and Global Affairs Otero pushed for implementation of the 
reform agenda, and addressed a wide range of other issues, 
including science and technology, human rights, trafficking in 
persons, environment, youth and women's empowerment, and refugees. 
(Refugee and Environment reported septels.) 
 
 
 
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Reform Agenda 
 
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¶3. The Under Secretary's meetings with the Interim Independent 
Electoral Commission (IIEC) and the parliamentary Reform Caucus, 
her discussions with President Kibaki and Prime Minister Odinga, a 
town hall meeting at the University of Nairobi, and a press 
conference at the end of the visit focused on the reform agenda, 
among other issues.  The IIEC laid out the challenges it faces with 
respect to plans to hold a national referendum on the new draft 
constitution as early as the May/June timeframe.  The IIEC appealed 
for assistance beyond what the U.S. is already providing.  The U/S 
agreed to consider this.  At the same time, she emphasized the need 
to ensure careful preparations for the referendum, particularly 
with respect to voter registration, in order to bolster the 
credibility of the process. Reform-minded members of parliament 
discussed the urgent need for implementation of the reform agenda 
and made clear the large hurdles reformers face in working against 
the political establishment.  The U/S said that she would work to 
help ensure a successful visit when a delegation of the Reform 
Caucus comes to Washington February 6. 
 
 
 
¶4. Otero urged President Kibaki and Prime Minister Odinga to 
resolve the contentious issues with respect to the new draft 
constitution, and then to work together to sell the new 
constitution to the Kenyan people.  She emphasized Secretary 
Clinton's and President Obama's determination to push for and 
support full implementation of the reform agenda.  She noted the 
Ambassador's speech of the previous day on the reform process, and 
she commented that it laid out the U.S. position clearly.  Odinga 
agreed that Kenya is at a "defining moment."  He said that the 
Parliament Select Committee (PSC) had just reached agreement on the 
contentious issues.  Odinga said he supported the PSC decision to 
adopt a presidential system, because the PSC also adopted a system 
of checks and balances.  Odinga said he expects the constitutional 
review Committee of Experts to accept most of the PSC's proposed 
changes, and then approval by the Parliament. Odinga appealed for 
U.S. funding to support holding of the referendum as early as 
May/June.  Otero said that she would convey the request.  She 
welcomed the progress made by the PSC and urged action on the full 
range of other reform agenda issues.  She urged Odinga to work hard 
to sell the draft constitution to the nation, emphasizing that the 
holding of a non-divisive referendum is important to help heal the 
nation.  She stressed the need to ensure careful preparations for 
the referendum so that it will be carried out in a credible manner. 
Odinga agreed on the need for careful planning, but also stressed 
the need to hold the referendum quickly in order to maintain 
momentum.  Otero told Odinga Kenya is at a turning point: it could 
move in a positive direction through a "consensus approach" with 
respect to the referendum and implementation of the reform agenda, 
or it could move in a negative direction.  Otero stressed the need 
for accountability in order to bring about healing and 
reconciliation. She also emphasized the need to empower youth 
economically and to participate peacefully in the political 
process. 
 
 
 
¶5. Otero made essentially the same points to President Kibaki. 
Kibaki commented that while many of the issues Kenyans are 
grappling with have been around for a long time, "Kenya has never 
faced a more challenging situation."  The situation in Kenya is 
 
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more complex than ever before, Kibaki said, because democratic 
space has never been greater and thus there is dramatically 
increased participation and "new thoughts."  He welcomed the 
compromise on contentious issues reached by the PSC which, he 
observed, may reflect a "new spirit of cooperation."  He said that 
he and Odinga would help sell the new constitution to the people. 
Achieving a new constitution is the key issue, Kibaki stated. 
Otero welcomed the progress being made on the constitution. 
Picking up on Kibaki's point about expanded participation in the 
democratic process, she emphasized the need to find ways to empower 
youth and women to participate in the political process.  Kibaki 
agreed, and pointed to the government's youth fund and Ministry of 
Youth (Note: both are tainted by corruption.).  Otero said that 
youth are not being utilized to their full potential in the 
economic and political process, and noted that a special division 
has been established in the State Department to search for ways to 
empower youth participation through use of technology.  A 
constructive discussion ensued with Kibaki and his team on the 
youth issue.  As a result, the Ambassador said that he would 
arrange a briefing for key government officials on all U.S. efforts 
to empower youth. 
 
 
 
¶6. Otero emphasized the need for implementation of the reform 
agenda, saying that it will be a key legacy for President Kibaki. 
As part of that process, accountability and prosecutions for 
post-election violence are essential, Otero said.  She added that 
greater efforts to promote healing and reconciliation are vitally 
needed as well.  There was an extended discussion regarding the 
Dadaab refugee issue. 
 
 
 
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Town Hall Forum and Press Conference 
 
--------------------------------------------- -- 
 
 
 
¶7. The Under Secretary conducted a town hall forum with nearly 
1,000 students and faculty from the University of Nairobi's 
polytechnic school.  She opened with remarks focusing on the reform 
process, refugees, trafficking in persons, and environment.  She 
discussed the role of the university students to support the reform 
process and to prepare themselves as future leaders.  The Under 
Secretary spoke at length about the role which technology can play 
in empowering youth to participate in the political process.  "You 
should be the actors and agents of change," she told the students. 
The Under Secretary fielded questions ranging from how best to 
advance democracy in Kenya, to how best to employ technology to 
support economic and political empowerment, to the challenges 
facing women in Kenya. 
 
 
 
¶8. The town hall meeting was covered by the media.  At her press 
conference following the town hall, Under Secretary Otero 
emphasized U.S. determination to push for and support 
implementation of the reform agenda.  She said that he delivered 
that message to the President and Prime Minister.  Her comments and 
broader visit were extensively covered by the Kenyan media. 
 
 
 
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Engaging with Women Leaders 
 
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¶9. Over dinner Under Secretary Otero engaged with women leaders, 
including the Minister for Gender, the National Chairperson of 
Maendeleo Ya Wanawake (one of the largest national women's groups), 
the head of the National Commission of Human Rights, 
representatives of key human rights NGOs, and Ann Ngoju, who heads 
a prominent NGO and has been chosen as a recipient of the 
Secretary's Women of Courage award this year.  The discussion 
covered the challenges women face to participate fully in the 
economic and political process; the potential for women to achieve 
a greater voice in the nation's affairs through a new constitution; 
post-election violence; mentoring of girls; and the efforts women 
are making to fight the culture of impunity, among other issues. 
Under Secretary Otero emphasized the USG's strong support to 
 
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empower women to participate more effectively in the political 
process and in economic development. The women leaders expressed 
concerns about curtailment of democratic space through government 
intimidation of civil society.  The women leaders urged the U.S. to 
maintain pressure on the coalition leaders to implement the reform 
agenda, saying "nothing is achieved through the benevolence of the 
politicians." 
 
 
 
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Trafficking in Persons 
 
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¶10. The Under Secretary's visit to the Domestic Workers Training 
Center called attention to the problem of trafficking in persons. 
The center has twice benefitted from Self-Help Funds, and is 
subcontracted by IOM to provide assistance to victims of domestic 
trafficking.  This includes children rescued from servitude as 
domestic workers. The Center has begun national advocacy for the 
rights of domestic workers. 
 
 
 
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Science and Technology 
 
---------------------------- 
 
 
 
¶11. In addition to addressing science and technology issues at the 
town hall forum, the Under Secretary met with Michael Joseph, the 
head of Safaricom, which has an 85 percent market share for cell 
phones and related technology.  Joseph discussed Safaricom's 
innovative products, including its M-PESA funds transfer service, 
and a microcredit product (customers will be pre-approved for a 
loan based on their cell phone usage).  Joseph said mobile phone 
technology is bringing about social, economic, and political change 
in Kenya by empowering the population.  Joseph is exploring how 
cell phones could be used to facilitate transfer of election 
results to a central database.  He further discussed the need for 
lower-cost netbooks and hardware to increase access to education 
and business opportunities.  The Under Secretary suggested that 
Joseph look at E-GOV efforts in Latin America, where "digital 
villages" are being set up to facilitate access to government 
services, to provide anonymous reporting on corruption, and to 
provide feedback on government services and officials. 
 
 
 
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Comment 
 
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¶12. The Under Secretary's visit provided very timely support to USG 
efforts to press for implementation of the reform agenda, as well 
as to address a wide range of other issues.  The combination of 
private and public diplomacy (which occurred in the context of the 
Ambassador's speech on the reform process, as reported septel) 
provided a significant boost to the Mission's ongoing strategy. 
RANNEBERGER