VZCZCXRO3724
RR RUEHROV
DE RUEHNR #1424/01 1881150
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 071150Z JUL 09
FM AMEMBASSY NAIROBI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0246
INFO RUCNIAD/IGAD COLLECTIVE
RUEHDR/AMEMBASSY DAR ES SALAAM 6627
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON 3266
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS 3139
RHMFIUU/CJTF HOA

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 NAIROBI 001424 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958:  N/A 
TAGS: PHUM PGOV PREL ECON KE
SUBJECT: JULY 4 RECEPTION USED TO PUSH REFORM AGENDA AND ADDRESS 
FOOD SHORTAGE ISSUE 
 
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Summary 
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¶1. Consistent with Washington guidance, the Mission held a scaled 
back reception on July 2 to mark Independence Day.  We used the 
reception to focus on three urgent issues in Kenya:  the need to 
accelerate implementation of the reform agenda, the importance of 
promoting national reconciliation, and the need to address the food 
shortage problem.  The event was prominently covered by the media. 
End Summary. 
 
¶2. The reception was well-attended by a wide range of government 
ministers, Members of Parliament, civil society, religious leaders, 
and others.  Ex-President Moi attended. Speaker of Parliament 
Kenneth Marende spoke and used the occasion to emphasize the 
importance of moving ahead expeditiously to implement fundamental 
reforms. 
 
¶3. The Ambassador highlighted themes relating to the rule of law, 
diversity and reconciliation, and the reform process.  He announced 
two new USG programs intended to help address food shortages. 
 
¶4. Text of Ambassador's remarks: 
Quote: Mr. Speaker, Honorable Ministers, Members of Parliament, 
Colleagues, Guests, and Friends: 
 
I want to extend a very warm welcome to our celebration of the 233rd 
anniversary of the independence of the United States of America.  We 
are also celebrating the vibrant, strong, and expanding partnership 
between our two countries -- a partnership based on the democratic 
values and friendship we share. 
 
Those universal democratic values were immortally articulated by 
Thomas Jefferson in the Declaration of Independence:  "We hold these 
truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal; that they 
are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights, that 
among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. That to 
secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving 
their just powers from the consent of the governed." 
 
Some of you may have wondered why we are celebrating on July 2 
instead of on the 4th.  Well, we thought it best not to do it over a 
weekend when many people would be away, and July 2 is actually a 
very appropriate date, since it was on July 2 that the members of 
the Continental Congress actually voted for independence. 
 
During the past 233 years Americans have consolidated institutions 
intended to ensure democratic government.  In light of the profound 
crisis that gripped Kenya last year, it is relevant to recall that 
the progress the people of the United States have made over these 
many years has often been difficult, sometimes painfully slow, and 
occasionally bloody.  Examining this history tells us that the 
process of building democracy is never easy and is never complete. 
To the extent we have been successful, we have benefited from the 
extraordinary achievement of our founding fathers, for they put in 
place a constitutional framework based on the principle of checks 
and balances.  That system was premised on a hard-headed assessment 
that, in order to protect the interests of all citizens, the power 
of any one institution, individual, or group must be limited.  The 
challenge to balance respect for the will of the majority with the 
necessity to protect the rights of minorities is a constant struggle 
in all democracies. 
 
As we reflect upon this independence anniversary and the partnership 
we share, I am reminded of the Kenyan proverb:  "Nia ikiwa moja 
kilicho mbali huja (no matter their differences, people working 
toward similar goals can achieve them).  The Kenyan people deserve 
enormous credit for coming together to overcome the crisis that 
threatened to tear apart the fabric of their nation.  They did this 
drawing on their shared interests to strengthen the country's 
democracy, society, and economy.  The coalition government is based 
on these shared interests. 
 
Democracies, whether the United States or Kenya, grow stronger by 
learning from the crises they experience, and by dealing with the 
underlying issues they reveal.  Last year the coalition government 
committed itself to an agenda for fundamental reforms.  During my 
travels throughout the country, I have heard from Kenyans across the 
political, ethnic, and social spectrum that they expect these 
reforms to be implemented.  The United States stands firmly on the 
side of the Kenyan people in wanting to see results.  There must be 
a greater sense of urgency and clear direction from the national 
leadership. 
 
Among the many things we share, the United States and Kenya are 
countries which encompass great diversity of cultures, ethnic and 
 
NAIROBI 00001424  002 OF 002 
 
 
racial groups, and religions. Diversity enriches and strengthens our 
nations if we learn to value it. Though we Americans have had far 
more time to build our democracy than Kenya has, we can truly say 
that neither democratic system is perfect.  In the U.S. - as in 
Kenya -- we struggle to fight corruption, to promote communal 
harmony, to foster security, and to bring about gender equity. 
Acutely aware of our own imperfections and limitations, we support 
the efforts of the Kenyan people to address the difficult challenges 
they face.  It is the responsibility of Kenyans to solve their 
problems in their own way, but they need and deserve the support of 
their friends. We care deeply about the future of this great 
country, and the future of our bilateral relationship is 
inextricably linked to the progress of reform and democracy in 
Kenya. 
 
Last year at our Independence Day celebration we dedicated the new 
rose garden "to peace and to the U.S.-Kenyan partnership."  Perhaps 
its astounding growth is a good sign. 
 
This year our national day celebration comes at a difficult time for 
the Kenyan people, as they face food shortages, and the combined 
negative economic impact of the post-election violence and the 
global financial crisis.  This year our celebration is, therefore, 
deliberately more restrained. 
 
I am pleased to announce today that the United States will be 
providing $15 million to support pastoralists and subsistence 
farmers in the northern and eastern regions of Kenya - the areas hit 
hardest by continuing drought.  In areas that have been affected by 
conflict, such as Marsabit, we have started to work with the local 
Members of Parliament, the government, community leaders, and others 
to ensure that this assistance is used equitably among different 
communities to promote peace and reconciliation. As an additional 
step to help ease food shortages and improve nutrition, I am also 
pleased to announce a new $50 million program which will provide 
credit guarantees for private sector importation of cereals. 
 
Americans and Kenyans share a belief in the power of the democratic 
spirit, profoundly illustrated by both countries' journeys to 
independence.  I am struck by the Swahili saying that captured, long 
before America was founded, the need to cherish and harness 
diversity for the well-being of all: "Umoja ni nguvu" (unity is 
strength); the inscription on our currency is "one from many." 
 
The election of President Barack Obama demonstrated how far we have 
come in appreciating the strength and unity that can be found 
through valuing diversity. I close with the words of President 
Obama:  "No matter where it takes hold, government of the people and 
by the people sets a single standard for all who would hold power. 
You must maintain your power through consent, not coercion; you must 
respect the rights of minorities, and participate with a spirit of 
tolerance and compromise; you must place the interest of your people 
and the legitimate workings of the political process above your 
party." 
 
Please join me in raising our glasses in a toast to the 233rd 
anniversary of the independence of the United States of America, to 
Kenya's democratic progress, and to the partnership between the 
United States and Kenya. 
 
Ahsanteni sana na mungu awabariki. End Quote. 
 
 
RANNEBERGER