Kenya Socialist Web Site
6th January 2003
US IMPERIALISM WELCOMES CHANGE OF GUARD IN KENYA
By Okoth Osewe
Following the December 27th elections in Kenya in which President Mwai Kibaki
was elected to lead Kenya for the next five years, President George W. Bush
has officially welcomed the peaceful change of guard in Kenya. In a statement
dated December 31st 2002, President Bush also commended Uhuru Kenyatta and
Simion Nyachae (Presidential candidates who lost in the elections) for accepting
the outcome of the elections.
“The elections have opened a hopeful new chapter in Kenya's history. I commend
the Presidential candidates, Uhuru Kenyatta and Simeon Nyachae, for peacefully
accepting the outcome of the election and for pledging to work constructively
within the democratic framework of the National Assembly”, said Bush.
Bush’s message came a day after a congratulatory message was released by
Philip T. Reeker, deputy State Department’s spokesman, who also congratulated
losers for having accepted defeat and who also welcomed the pledge by the
losers “to play a constructive role in the National Assembly”. Reeker praised
the former dictator Daniel arap Moi for having facilitated a smooth democratic
process and promised that the United States would work with the Moi foundation
which had been set up by Moi to keep the former dictator busy during his
retirement. According to the Kenya Times (Monday January 6 2003), Bush spoke
to Moi on Sunday January 5th 2003 for 15 minutes and assured Mr. Moi that
the US would support the Moi foundation. The US President also called Kibaki
shortly after calling Moi.
Even before his election, Kibaki had pledged to work with both the United
States and Britain if he came to power and had assured property owners that
their interests in Kenya would not be tampered with. Immediately after his
election, the new President promised to sell off more State enterprises which
had not been sold by Moi through privatisation, a gesture to multi-national
companies to prepare to position themselves for “investment” in Kenya.
What these gestures of support from the Bush administration indicate is that
US imperialism is comfortable with the new boys who have taken over the state
machine in Kenya. Both the United States and Britain have vast economic,
political and strategic interests in Kenya. Numerous US companies are responsible
for the exploitation of resources in Kenya while the country is currently
the headquarters of CIA operations in East and Central Africa. Numerous FBI
agents operate freely in Kenya in the name of fighting terrorism while US
mercenaries have been permanently based in Kenya’s Coastal region of Mombasa
where they systematically engage in various war games. US marines routinely
use Mombasa as a base for sexual exploits after long hours at sea.
Militarily, Kenya is strategic because it gives the US the opportunity to
have access to the long Indian Ocean coastline from where US military forces
can monitor events in the Gulf region through the Horn of Africa as “The
fight against terrorism” continues. The Indian Ocean coastline is important
because it provides an open seaway that spans over into the Middle East thereby
providing good positions from where rogue countries like Iraq or Iran could
be monitored and hit if the US decides to attack.
The pledge that the US will work with the new Kibaki administration is evidence
that the US is comfortable with the new boys who will supervise the exploitation
of human and natural resources in Kenya on behalf of US economic agents for
the next five years. The emphasis that the losers should “play a constructive
role” through Parliament is a thinly veiled warning to the opposition that
they should not try to destabilise the government through mass protests that
would threaten US economic and other interests in the country but that they
should follow the rules of capitalism by conducting politics through the
safe and peaceful atmosphere of the National Assembly, away from the poverty
stricken and starving masses. The gestures of support from the US is part
of a strategy for imperialist domination of Kenyans politically, economically,
socially and culturally.
Published by Kenya Socialist Democratic Alliance
(KSDA)
email: harakatips@hotmail.com
Home