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DE RUEHNR #4334/01 2790807
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 060807Z OCT 06
FM AMEMBASSY NAIROBI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 4738
INFO RUEHDS/AMEMBASSY ADDIS ABABA 8819
RUEHDR/AMEMBASSY DAR ES SALAAM 4879
RUEHDJ/AMEMBASSY DJIBOUTI 4384
RHMFIUU/CJTF HOA

UNCLAS NAIROBI 004334 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: SOCI PREL KISL PGOV ECON KE KDEM PTER SNAR
SUBJECT:  COAST PROVINCE - DIVERSITY, DEVELOPMENT, AND THE POLITICAL 
PROCESS IN KENYA 
 
SENSITIVE--NOT FOR INTERNET POSTING 
 
¶1. (U) SUMMARY: The diversity of Kenya's Coast Province reflects 
an important part of the country's rich history and highlights the 
challenge that this fledgling democracy faces to develop a truly 
inclusive process focused on national issues, as opposed to the 
current tribally-driven system.  During a three-day visit, the 
Ambassador emphasized the importance of accommodating diversity 
and focused on a positive message that the U.S. and Kenya share 
a strong partnership that is mutually beneficial.  This message was 
well-received, and the receptiveness demonstrated by the Muslim 
community was remarkable (the Iftar dinner produced an overflow 
crowd that engaged in a highly constructive dialogue with the 
Ambassador).  It was striking that government officials, 
representatives of civil society, the private sector, the Muslim 
and Christian communities, and politicians, while differing on 
some issues like the extent of corruption, shared similar views 
on key matters:  concerns about increased narcotics trafficking 
and trafficking in persons, marginalization of Coast Province, 
and the need for more robust steps to ensure security.  They also 
urged that the U.S. establish a permanent presence on the Coast. 
The Ambassador inaugurated several projects and programs that 
highlighted U.S. assistance for the Coast. END SUMMARY. 
 
¶2. (U) The Ambassador conducted an outreach visit to Coast Province 
September 25-27.  He was accompanied by several senior FSNs, the 
Acting Political Counselor, a Swahili-speaking officer from Regional 
Affairs, the Consul General, and the USAID Kenya Mission Director. 
 
¶3. (U) The visit included outreach to the Muslim community, 
inauguration of two USG-funded projects, meetings with a range of 
government officials, dialogue with civil society, a town hall 
meeting with the American community, media interviews, discussions 
with tribal elders, visits to USAID-supported development projects, 
and conversations with political party leaders. 
 
--------------------------------------------- -------- 
Encouraging Diversity and the U.S.-Kenyan Partnership 
--------------------------------------------- -------- 
 
¶4. (U) Coast Province is one of the most beautiful, diverse, and 
potentially rich areas of Kenya--but also traditionally one of the 
country's most marginalized economically and politically.  The 
diversity is reflected in the roughly equal split between Muslims 
and Christians (with a smaller number of traditionalists); by wide 
disparities in income levels (the South Coast is among the poorest 
areas of Kenya, while the Kenyan elite maintain vacation homes 
there); by ethnic diversity (including a "local" vs. "upcountry" 
split), and by the range of economic activity (from upscale tourism 
to small-scale agriculture). 
 
¶5. (U) In interviews and in the full range of meetings and events, 
which received substantial media coverage, the Ambassador explained 
that he wanted to visit Coast Province as one of his first trips 
outside of Nairobi precisely because Coast Province is the most 
diverse in Kenya.  He highlighted the importance of the Kenyan 
democratic system embracing this diversity in an inclusive process. 
All the issues found in Coast Province (ranging from development 
problems to social services to tribalism to insecurity) are key to 
the national political discussion that will take place during the 
lead-up to the Kenyan elections in 2007.  The Ambassador described 
his view of the positive direction in which Kenya is moving (based 
on its robust civil society, vibrant media, 85 percent literacy, 
almost 6 percent growth rate, dynamic private sector, and structural 
changes in the government providing greater accountability and 
transparency, among other factors).  He reviewed the breadth and 
depth of the U.S.-Kenyan partnership, emphasizing that it is 
mutually beneficial. The message was well-received.  The warmth of 
the reception by interlocutors in Coast Province, and by ordinary 
citizens, was striking.  People literally waved on the street as the 
party drove through. 
 
----------------------------------------- 
Muslim Community Positive Toward the U.S. 
----------------------------------------- 
 
¶6. (SBU) The Ambassador's call on the Chief Khadi (the official 
leader of the Muslim community) reflected these sentiments.  The 
Khadi talked about the moderate Muslim traditions of the Coast 
population.  He lamented that Imams do not always have the training 
or skills to present an effective message in their mosques.  The 
Khadi has had a close working relationship with the Consular Section 
(in support of the warden system) for years.  He invited additional 
U.S. support in Muslim areas, including for historic preservation in 
the old town of Mombasa.  He pointed out that radical preachers who 
do periodically come into the area to proselytize often bring with 
them funds to influence the people.  While this influence does not 
last, he claimed, additional U.S. assistance would help bolster him 
and other moderate Muslim leaders.  (We are looking into whether it 
might be possible to support a historic preservation project in 
Mombasa's old town, where a large Muslim population lives.  We 
understand that the old town is under consideration by UNESCO for 
designation as a world heritage site.) 
 
¶7. (U) Imams and other Muslim representatives who attended an Iftar 
dinner hosted by the Ambassador echoed these sentiments.  The 
overflow crowd, which included a number of women, enthusiastically 
welcomed the Ambassador's visit.  In fact, they urged that the U.S. 
establish a permanent presence on the Coast; the Ambassador 
indicated that this was being considered.  A number of the 
participants specifically expressed concerns about the potential for 
terrorism given the unprotected Coastline and deteriorating 
situation in Somalia.  They expressed their concerns about 
marginalization of Coast Province (in their view due to the number 
of Muslims living there) and welcomed the Ambassador's emphasis on 
the need for the democratic system to be inclusive.  One participant 
commented that he completely agreed on the need for a war against 
terrorism, but bemoaned how the U.S. is fighting it.  The U.S., he 
said only half in jest, should have identified a moderate mufti and 
made him a prominent senior White House adviser in the war against 
terrorism.  Several of the women appealed for U.S. support for 
establishment of a rehabilitation center for abused women.  In his 
remarks to the Iftar participants, the Ambassador emphasized U.S. 
respect for Islam and for diversity, and noted that during Ramadan 
it was particularly appropriate to recall the ancient Islamic 
tradition of dispatching envoys to resolve conflicts.  This 
tradition of "ambassadors of peace" was, he noted, highlighted in 
ancient Islamic manuscripts which the U.S. has been active in 
preserving in Timbuktu, one of the renowned ancient Islamic centers 
of learning.  (Many of the participants were unaware of this 
tradition; a very enthusiastic and spirited discussion followed.) 
 
¶8. (U) The outreach to the Muslim community was highlighted in the 
Ambassador's donation of encyclopedias and a one thousand dollar 
grant to purchase books given to the Islamic Teachers' College. 
Using the Teachers' College as a base, the Muslim community has 
launched a proposal to establish a university - which would be the 
first on the Coast.  Muslim representatives at the donation ceremony 
appealed for U.S. assistance for this project.  The Ambassador also 
visited a preschool started and still supported by the Aga Khan 
Foundation.  USAID has provided support.  While Islam is studied, 
the school is run based on the standard Kenyan national curriculum. 
 
--------------------------------------------- -------- 
Government Officials Focused on Security, Development 
--------------------------------------------- -------- 
 
¶9. (U) Government officials also warmly welcomed the visit and, 
like others, emphasized their interest in seeing a permanent U.S. 
presence on the Coast.  They expressed particular concerns about 
security, demonstrating a keen appreciation of the threat that Kenya 
faces from terrorism.  The Provincial Commissioner (accompanied by 
a large inter-agency team) had just returned from a visit to the 
U.S. focused on coastal security issues.  The government, with our 
support, has formed an inter-agency task force to address the urgent 
need to improve coastal security.  They expressed great appreciation 
for continued ATA assistance.  This is part of a broad effort 
focused on anti-terrorism assistance as well as efforts to combat 
piracy, drug trafficking, and small arms trafficking. (The 
Ambassador will be in Mombasa October 6 at a ceremony to turn over 
five coastal patrol boats to the Kenyan navy.) 
 
¶10. (U) The Acting Mayor of Mombasa focused on possibilities for 
cooperation with the U.S.  He appealed for support for the World 
Cross-Country Championship games to be held in Mombasa next spring. 
Related to this, he discussed his interest in promoting more U.S. 
tourism to the Coast.  He emphasized his interest in promoting 
public-private partnerships.  In this regard, he echoed the 
interest expressed by the Muslim community in obtaining support 
for establishment of a university in Mombasa.   Interestingly, 
the Mayor noted that Mombasa has a sister city relationship with 
Seattle.  The town councilors participated in the meeting.  The 
only female member emphasized the need for support for women's 
groups which, she said, are still marginalized along the Coast. 
 
-------------------- 
Robust Civil Society 
-------------------- 
 
¶11. (U) Several meetings focused on civil society:  one with 
Christian religious leaders, another with non-governmental groups, 
and a third with representatives of the private sector.   The women 
in these meetings were particularly outspoken.  They bemoaned their 
marginalization in politics, but described their vigorous efforts 
to counteract this through formation of women's organizations. 
They noted that affirmative action legislation is yet to pass in 
Parliament.  The Ambassador briefed the women on the President's 
Women's Justice and Empowerment Initiative.  The women 
enthusiastically welcomed this, stressing especially the need to 
train police in terms of awareness and evidence handling in cases 
of abuse.  When one woman stated that "incest is a plague in our 
society," all heads nodded.  Many of the participants in the civil 
society meetings represented youth groups, an encouraging indication 
of the process of generational change underway in Kenya. 
 
¶12. (SBU) Christian leaders maintained that the Christian community 
on the Coast is even more marginalized than the Muslim population, 
since the Muslims (especially those of Arab origin) control more 
economic resources.  They expressed appreciation for U.S. support 
for Muslim-Christian dialogue.  (The U.S. is supporting a series of 
radio discussions hosted by the Mombasa-based Radio Baraka.)  The 
religious leaders maintained that some Imams are being influenced by 
an increasing number of outside radical preachers coming into the 
Coast. They urged that any university established on the Coast be 
public and secular. They also called attention to smoldering tribal 
tensions (there were serious clashes in 1997). In that regard, they 
expressed concern that President Kibaki's statements during his 
recent visit to the Coast about taking away land from absentee land 
owners were potentially explosive, although there has been no 
violence as a result of the remarks.  The tribal tensions stem 
largely from the Kenyatta regime's settlement of Kikuyus and Kambas 
on Coast Province land.  There was a fascinating discussion of the 
continuing importance of African traditional religions along the 
Coast. 
 
¶13. (SBU) Elders representing some of the nine Mijikenda tribes of 
the Coast talked emotionally about marginalization of the Coast, 
particularly their areas of the South Coast.  Indeed, the greater 
level of poverty was readily apparent after crossing on the ferry 
from Mombasa to the South Coast.  The Mijikenda elders mirrored the 
religious leaders in discussing tribal tensions between "natives" of 
the Coast and "upcountry" Kenyans.  They pointed out that even the 
majority of hotel workers are not natives of the Coast, but rather 
Kikuyus and Kambas.  Members of Parliament for the area have 
delivered nothing in terms of development, they said, but would 
likely be re-elected given their status within the Mijikenda tribes. 
 Many of the complaints about marginalization were directed at the 
actions of former President Moi, still being felt on the Coast. 
They claimed that he deliberately let key industries languish 
(particularly cashew nuts, sugar refineries, and breweries).  One 
interesting point they made is that while the Coast is the most 
diverse area of Kenya, it is in some respects also the most united 
given the history of the Coast (it was a protectorate of Oman for 
many years).  While admitting that such constitutional change is 
unlikely, they advocated for adoption of a federal system in Kenya 
that would accommodate the unique identity of the Coast. 
 
-------- 
Politics 
-------- 
 
¶14. (SBU) A discussion with two Members of Parliament reflected many 
of the issues and concerns heard in other meetings, but with a 
pointedly political twist.  Opposition Coast parliamentarian Najib 
Balala focused on marginalization of the Coast and the need for land 
reform.  Joseph Kingi, who is also Assistant Minister of Security, 
admitted that the Coast has historically been marginalized, but 
argued that Kibaki's government has done a great deal to promote 
development.  Interestingly, they were in agreement with respect to 
three issues:  the problem of increased narcotics trafficking; the 
need for more action to stop corruption; and the importance of more 
effective steps to promote security. 
 
¶15. (SBU) The man who still claims to be Mayor of Mombasa, Taib Ali 
Taib, has mounted a challenge in the courts to the government's 
removal of him after he switched political sides.   In his meeting 
with the Ambassador, he provided an impressive analysis of the 
situation on the Coast.  While sounding some of the same themes as 
others (on land given to the Kikuyus, marginalization, and narcotics 
trafficking), he said that, as a Muslim, he wanted to emphasize that 
the U.S. has "incredible goodwill on the Coast."  He urged that we 
conduct outreach directly with the people, bypassing Imams.  The 
real sources of influence, he said, are a number of powerful 
families and tribal leaders.  The Mayor, or would-be mayor, is 
clearly an astute politician and, we understand, plans to run for 
Parliament on an opposition ticket. 
 
--------------------------------------------- -- 
Tourism, Trafficking in Persons, Travel Warning 
--------------------------------------------- -- 
¶16. (U) A separate discussion with tourism industry officials 
focused on concerns about the U.S. travel warning.  The Ambassador 
pointed out that U.S. tourism has increased by almost 60 percent in 
recent years, with about 75,000 American tourists expected in Kenya 
this year.  The tourism officials acknowledged that the travel 
warning probably has limited negative impact on American tourism, 
but claimed that other countries often follow suit when the U.S. 
issues travel warnings.  The tourism officials said that 750,000 
tourists are expected this year in Kenya, with about 65 percent 
focused on the Coast and its superb beaches.  Eight Kenyan jobs, 
they claimed, are created for every tourist visitor.  The tourism 
representatives expressed interest in attracting more U.S. 
investment, and the Ambassador urged them to work closely with the 
American Chamber of Commerce in Kenya.  The tourism representatives 
clearly appreciated the horrendous negative impact another terrorism 
incident could have, and said they are pressing the government to be 
more proactive to combat insecurity. 
 
¶17. (U) The Ambassador raised concerns about trafficking in persons, 
particularly with respect to reports of growing sex tourism along 
the Coast.  The tourism industry representatives said that they 
share these concerns and are working closely with Kenyan authorities 
to fight it.  They have adopted a code of conduct for the industry, 
and most hotels have flyers warning tourists that sex tourism is a 
crime in Kenya. 
 
------------------------------- 
Increased Narcotics Trafficking 
------------------------------- 
 
¶18. (U) The number of interlocutors who raised concerns about 
increased narcotics trafficking was striking.  Government officials 
and non-governmental groups said they believe that narcotics 
trafficking, which has existed to some degree since the 1980s, has 
expanded significantly in recent years.  Many said that one could 
acquire virtually any drug (cocaine, heroin, and pills) on the 
streets of Mombasa.  While they do not have adequate statistics, 
they emphasized that the impact is being felt in the growing number 
of drug addicts.  At the Iftar dinner, one Muslim leader described 
his organization's efforts to establish a drug rehabilitation center 
and appealed for U.S. support.  The Kenyan government has little 
capacity and few resources to combat the trafficking or to focus on 
treatment programs.  (Separate messages will report on the 
widespread perception that increased drug trafficking is closely 
tied to high-level networks of corruption, and that this explains 
the inattention to this problem.) 
 
---------------------------------- 
U.S. Assistance for Coast Province 
---------------------------------- 
 
¶19. (U) The U.S. has extensive programs along the Coast focused on 
combating insecurity and terrorism, promoting development, and 
fighting HIV/AIDS, among other areas.  During his visit, the 
Ambassador and USAID Director launched a $40 million five-year 
program on HIV/AIDS.  The program focuses on integrated health 
assistance through a partnership between non-governmental groups, 
and the Kenyan and U.S. governments.  The Ambassador visited a new 
cashew nut factory indirectly supported by U.S. assistance.  A USAID 
project along the Coast is helping 5,000 cashew nut farmers to 
increase the quantity and quality of production.  Much of that 
production ends up at the new factory.  The factory prepares the 
cashew nuts for export, some to the U.S. under AGOA, and therefore 
results in increased income for the farmers. 
 
¶20. (U) The Ambassador also signed a cultural preservation grant for 
the Shimoni Caves on the South Coast, which were used to hold slaves 
prior to their transport out of Kenya by Arab slavers.  This was 
widely welcomed on the Coast, since the history of trafficking along 
the east coast of Africa has not been as developed as that on the 
west coast of Africa.  The grant is structured to empower the local 
community to run the project in coordination with the Kenyan 
government. 
 
¶21. (U) Peace Corps volunteers on the Coast generate a tremendous 
amount of well-being, as reflected in an often-heard request for 
more of them.  Peace Corps volunteers told the Ambassador they feel 
very welcomed in Muslim communities. 
 
------- 
Comment 
------- 
 
¶22. (U) As the water from the tepid Indian Ocean lapped the beach 
under a starlit sky at the luxurious Serena Hotel, on the Coast 
north of Mombasa, with a Kenyan musical group performing in the 
background, it was easy to appreciate the astounding beauty of 
Kenya's Coast.  In such a setting, one is safety isolated from the 
tremendous poverty that afflicts the Coast - a victim of massive 
corruption and neglect during the governments of Presidents Kenyatta 
and Moi.  That the poverty and land-grabs recounted above have not 
provoked more violence is perhaps an indication that the unique 
history and diversity of the Coast have produced some unity, however 
tenuous it may be.  From that perspective Coast Province is an 
appropriate stage on which to present a message on the importance of 
an inclusive democratic system focused on national issues.  Walking 
the streets of Mombasa's frayed old town, there was no apparent 
evidence of the problems that plague the Coast, but the similarity 
of the messages from interlocutors underscored the large challenges 
the Coast and Kenya face on major issues ranging from narcotics 
trafficking to trafficking in persons to development.  That is also 
a challenge for the U.S.-Kenya partnership - one that we are well on 
the way towards meeting.   Our sustained investment in that 
partnership is yielding substantial dividends on the Coast. 
 
RANNEBERGER