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DE RUEHNR #1266/01 1751358
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R 241358Z JUN 09
FM AMEMBASSY NAIROBI
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RUCNIAD/IGAD COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 NAIROBI 001266 
 
DEPT FOR AF/E Susan Driano 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958:N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM KE
SUBJECT:  Ambassador's Remarks upon receiving Honorary Doctorate 
 
UNCLASSIFIED - ENTIRE TEXT 
 
¶1. On May 29 Africa Nazarene University awarded the Ambassador an 
honorary doctorate for his efforts to promote peace and 
reconciliation.  The Ambassador used the occasion for public 
outreach in support of the reform agenda and reconciliation 
efforts. 
 
¶2. Begin text of remarks. 
 
I accept this honor with profound humility and appreciation.  This 
honor is a wonderful recognition of the deep friendship and 
partnership between the United States and Kenya.  I am particularly 
pleased to have with me my daughter Elizabeth who is herself today 
receiving a very important degree - her high school diploma from the 
International School of Kenya.  I am immensely proud of how well she 
has done; she was one of only 5 seniors to receive an award for 
continuous 12th grade honors.  I know this occasion will inspire 
her, and I look forward to the date when she will receive a 
university degree. I wish to thank all those whose love and 
friendship is so important to me. 
 
Given the special ties between the American people and Africa 
Nazarene University, it is particularly appropriate that you have 
chosen to convey this honor.  The activities of American citizens 
and their institutions in Kenya is the largest part of our 
partnership.  As the U.S. Ambassador, I am proud of the contribution 
which Africa Nazarene University is making to promote education in 
Kenya. 
 
The awarding of this honor highlights in a most timely manner the 
importance of the efforts of all individuals to promote peace, 
reconciliation, and democratic values.  Africa Nazarene University 
and the 19 other public and private universities in Kenya are at the 
forefront of transforming this country through education.  The 
students at this university, and the 110,000 students at other 
Kenyan universities, are broadening their perspectives of the world. 
 You who are graduating today have learned how to become enlightened 
citizens and responsible members of civil society.  The high quality 
education you have received makes you privileged members of society, 
and places upon you a large responsibility to contribute to the 
process of bringing about fundamental change in order to make Kenya 
a stronger and more stable democracy. 
 
Aristotle in the 4th century B.C. in his famous book Politics said: 
"If liberty and equality, as is thought by some, are chiefly to be 
found in democracy, they will be best attained when all persons 
alike share in the government to the utmost." 
The greatness - and the greatest crises - of American history are 
largely a reflection of how we have struggled to achieve such 
inclusivity and to build democracy on the basis of great diversity, 
and how this effort has in turn affected our economic and political 
development. The terribly bloody civil war in the United States 
waged over the issues of slavery and secession was a watershed in 
our history because it was fought precisely over the principle that 
democracy must be a united effort involving all the people.  As 
President Abraham Lincoln stated in his Gettysburg Address, the war 
was fought to affirm a government of, by, and for the people - all 
the people.  However, it was only after years of struggle, 
culminating in the Civil Rights Movement in the 1950s and 1960s, 
that African-Americans began to be able to fully enter the political 
and economic life of their country. 
The election of President Obama dramatically demonstrates the 
substantial progress that has been made and reflects what can be 
achieved when diversity is constructively accommodated in a 
democratic society and becomes an engine of its development. Kenyans 
face the same challenge in standing up against tribally-based 
politics to ensure that the diversity represented in the 42 ethnic 
groups of this country is harnessed to promote unity and the 
well-being of all. 
The American experience demonstrates that widespread education is 
key to promoting appreciation of the importance of diversity for 
democracy and development.  Education helps instill understanding of 
human rights, of the principles of democracy, of the nature of 
economic development, and of the reality of diversity in our 
societies.  Schools, especially universities, bring together 
students from across the country and allow them to see, hear, and 
appreciate that their ethnic and regional differences melt away in 
the classroom and in their lives. 
The fact that education is expanding so rapidly in Kenya bodes well 
for the future of this country.  The well-educated young people who 
are the great majority of the population in Kenya are increasingly 
insisting that the leadership of the country focus on a national, 
rather than narrowly-based tribal, approach to government and 
economic management. 
Youth groups are proliferating throughout the country to provide 
alternative platforms for dialogue across ethnic lines, and to 
insist that the coalition government fully implement the reform 
agenda and address the challenges facing the nation.  I challenge 
you as graduates to be in the forefront of those efforts.  The 
United States will stand by the side of the young people of Kenya as 
 
NAIROBI 00001266  002 OF 002 
 
 
they press peacefully for implementation of  reforms:  meaningful 
and timely constitutional review, creation of a truly independent 
electoral commission, setting up a Special Tribunal to hold 
accountable those who perpetrated post-election violence, decisive 
steps against corruption, and major police and judicial, among 
others.  We will stand by your side because we are friends and 
because the alternative of renewed instability is too terrible to 
contemplate. 
The burgeoning activism of young people threatens the vested 
interests and culture of impunity that protect those who do not want 
to see the status quo changed.  But those vested interests will not 
be able to hold back the tide of history, because a profound process 
of change is already underway in Kenya.  That process is being led 
by independent young leaders who refuse to be compromised by the 
vested interests.  The country, and in particular the political 
class, will increasingly feel its impact.  The increasingly high 
profile activity of these young leaders and youth groups is one of 
the most inspiring demonstrations that a real democratic spirit is 
now transforming this country.  For those who may be skeptical, let 
us remember that fundamental change is often brought about far more 
rapidly than anyone anticipates.  You need only look at the example 
of our presidential election of 2008 to appreciate that fact. 
I am certain that President Obama enthusiastically supports the 
youth of Kenya as they work for peaceful change.  He recently sent a 
high-level delegation to Kenya to deliver a clear message on the 
need to accelerate the reform agenda and to make clear that the U.S. 
will not do business as usual with those who do not support reform. 
 
I cannot say it any better than the President himself - then a U.S. 
Senator - did in his August 2006 speech in Kenya.  "Today," he said, 
"we're starting to see that the Kenyan people want more than a 
simple changing of the guard, more than piecemeal reforms to a 
crisis that's crippling their country. The Kenyan people are crying 
out for real change, and whether one voted orange or banana in last 
year's referendum, the message that many Kenyans seemed to be 
sending was one of dissatisfaction with the pace of reform, and real 
frustration with continued tolerance of corruption at high levels." 
 
 
He went on to say: "Ethnic-based tribal politics has to stop. It is 
rooted in the bankrupt idea that the goal of politics or business is 
to funnel as much of the pie as possible to one's family, tribe, or 
circle with little regard for the public good. It stifles innovation 
and fractures the fabric of the society. Instead of opening 
businesses and engaging in commerce, people come to rely on 
patronage and payback as a means of advancing. Instead of unifying 
the country to move forward on solving problems, it divides neighbor 
from neighbor." 
 
"In the end, one of the strongest weapons your country has against 
corruption is the ability of you, the people, to stand up and speak 
out about the injustices you see. The Kenyan people are the ultimate 
guardians against abuses." 
 
Then, as if he were speaking to you today, he said:  "Looking out at 
this crowd of young people, I have faith that you will fight this 
fight too. You will decide if your leaders will be held accountable, 
or if you will look the other way. You will decide if the standards 
and the rules will be the same for everyone - regardless of 
ethnicity or of wealth. And you will determine the direction of this 
country in the 21st century - whether the hard work of the many is 
lost to the selfish desires of a few, or whether you build an open, 
honest, stronger Kenya where everyone rises together." 
 
I thank you profoundly for the honor you have bestowed upon me, and 
- confident in the future of this great country -- I wish you well. 
 
End text. 
 
 
RANNEBERGER