The US ambassador to Kenya needs to be impartial to the country’s politics

By Joseph Lister Nyaringo

A diplomat representing the most powerful nation on earth isn’t just an ordinary individual. What she says or the position she takes carries a lot of weight and meaning.

In international diplomacy, neutrality, and impartiality are key ingredients. This is for the purpose of ensuring fairness and balance to avert social and political conflicts, civil strife, violence, or general misunderstanding between two countries or parties.

No society can resolve its challenges without applying diplomacy. Effective diplomacy, therefore, grants warring parties the solid foundation to negotiate through openness to get out of a stalemate.

There is no country in the globe that has tried to influence many nations with its cultural philosophies in many facets like the United States of America. It’s always at the frontline on human rights, fair economic policies, better political leadership, good governance, and protecting the vulnerable.

Ambassador Margaret Cushing Whitman, who is the 17^th US ambassador to Kenya, suffered a blow last week from the Azimio Coalition leader Raila Odinga. The opposition leader warned her to keep off Kenya’s internal affairs.

This happened in Uasin Gishu County, Eldoret while addressing the 10^th devolution symposium. The Ambassador had earlier on made a comment about last year’s presidential election which sounded unsavoury to the Azimio Coalition.

Kenya is still divided, after last year’s election. That’s why the Church and the International community rooted for bipartisan talks to restore tranquility by stopping demonstrations that culminated in the loss of innocent lives under the brutal force of the police.

The country has been torn asunder between the ruling Kenya Kwanza Coalition led by President William Ruto and the Azimio Coalition, led by Odinga. Supporters of Odinga, believe that President Ruto didn’t fairly win the Presidency last year.

Therefore the US ambassador’s declaration in Eldoret that last year’s presidential election was the fairest in the country is a slap on the faces of those who don’t believe so.

Azimio further argues that the US Ambassador has taken a partisan position on an emotive issue, which is likely to polarize the country, reflect the opposition in a bad light before the world and even jeopardize the ongoing bipartisan talks.

It must be remembered that the United States is not like any ordinary country. When her diplomat speaks, she represents the country’s power, and position. When the Ambassador speaks, it’s the US President Joe Biden, speaking.

To safeguard proper diplomacy, the Ambassador should act as a neutral arbiter and be impartial in her public pronouncements. Like some of her predecessors, she should invoke good governance, justice, freedom, and respect for human rights, and above all, reflect the true spirit of the US in Kenya.

Ambassador Whitman should be the last person to whitewash the reasons why Kenyans demonstrated recently against the current government.

The World hasn’t forgotten how former President Donald Trump, paralyzed the US capitol through an illegal insurrection.

I would like to challenge the US Ambassador to tell Kenyans if the Washington DC police senselessly gunned down demonstrators who raided the US capitol following the Presidential election outcome which President Biden won.

The World saw. Despite some violent protestors, law enforcement in DC handled protestors with humanity and professionalism. This is what we expect the ambassador to tell President William Ruto and his Interior Cabinet Secretary who is in charge of Security, Professor Kithure Kindiki.

Ambassador Whitman has a rich resume in public life. As a corporate guru and member of the Republican Party, she is a moderate who detests racism, xenophobia, and dictatorship. That’s why she broke away from her party and supported Hillary Clinton (a Democrat) for the Presidency against her party candidate, Donald Trump. In fact, she compared former President Trump as a candidate to Adolf Hitler.

This is a clear demonstration that the Ambassador values social justice and hates dictatorship.

The Nairobi diplomatic post is a high-voltage station for the US. As a key post in the Horn of Africa, and given the political tension and insecurity in the region, it requires a career diplomat who is well-versed in geopolitics, conflict resolution, peacebuilding, and nurturing cohesiveness in a polarized political environment.

In retrospect, just like Ambassador Whitman, her predecessor Kyle MacCarter was a political appointee with no diplomatic experience. One wonders why in the last decade, the US has been posting ambassadors to Kenya who are not career diplomats.

Aggressive Ambassadors

Diplomats from advanced democracies have over the years openly supported Kenya’s struggle for democracy, social justice, and good governance. A couple of them fought alongside Kenyans for the re-introduction of multiparty politics in 1991.

The big question for Ambassador Whitman is this: Why not take a firm position like the 9^th US ambassador to Kenya, Smith Hempstone who took no prisoners during the reign of the late President Daniel Moi?

The government excesses that Hempstone confronted like dictatorship, injustice, corruption, and looting are still at a crescendo.

The country desperately needs a US diplomat who will take the bull by the horns voraciously by challenging the status quo. Kenyans miss former British ambassador Sir Edward Clay of “vomiting on our shoes” fame and former German Ambassador, Berndt Mutzelburg. The Three never spared the “big fish.”

The US is Kenya’s big brother in the West. During the clamour for multiparty democracy in 1990, Ambassador Hempstone teamed with his German counterpart-Mutzelburg to openly support the “young Turks” like James Orengo, Paul Muite, Raila Odinga, Gitobu Imanyara, etc. to fight for political pluralism.

US Investment

The majority of Kenyans at home and abroad are comfortable seeing the US helping Kenya to nurture good governance and economic prosperity. They view President Ruto’s leanings towards Western powers as a positive step with far-reaching benefits for Kenya.

Despite the US Ambassador’s comment which sounded unpalatable to the political opposition, Kenyans think that the US government led by Joe Biden has a good agenda for Kenya.  

The country is the largest economy in East and Central Africa, but corruption has slowed its growth. Poverty has increased, and some development projects have stalled the delivery of essential services to the citizens are in ruins. Other negative indicators which have stifled Kenya’s growth are over-borrowing, corruption, and money laundering.

“I trust the US as opposed to China which is primarily for self-economic enrichment in Kenya and other African countries. The US loves Kenya and wants the best for her people.” Says Peter Nyandega, a Kenyan businessman in New Jersey.

As the adage goes, the borrower is a slave to the lender. Over-borrowing from China has its demerits. In Sri Lanka, the country was forced to give up its two ports to the Asian giant, as a result of failing to service her loans. What will remain of Kenya if China claims the Port of Mombasa or any of our national Airports if over-borrowing from the Asian giant is not curtailed?

The US should help Kenya recover its financial assets stashed in offshore accounts to help resuscitate the economy. The buck stops on President Biden’s administration and other European powers.

Kenyans are yet to know if a memorandum signed five years ago between retired President Uhuru Kenyatta and his Swiss counterpart Alain Berse did yield some fruit to recovery funds hidden in Swiss banks. With the US’s expertise in curtailing money laundering and other economic crimes, Kenya will recover its offshore financial assets.

Nine years ago, Forbes Magazine featured Ambassador Whitman as the 20^th most influential woman in the world out of a list of 100 due to her indelible record in corporate America. Why can’t she utilize her networks to help Kenya become a haven of investment by US investors?

Nyaringo is the President of Kenya Patriotic Movement, a Diaspora lobby based in the US