President Kibaki accused the American Government of breaching protocol and expressed “displeasure and concern” about the action
By MURITHI MUTIGA
Relations between Kenya and America appeared to take a dramatic twist on Saturday night after President Kibaki wrote a protest note to President Obama over recent warnings issued to Kenyan officials whom the US accuses of blocking reforms.
President Kibaki accused the American Government of breaching protocol and expressed “displeasure and concern” about the action. US authorities remained tight lipped over the letter with Ambassador Michael Ranneberger telling the Sunday Nation he would not respond and that a reply would come from Washington.
President Kibaki’s unexpected decision to publicly take on Mr Obama could reopen fresh divisions within the grand coalition government because the letter appeared to contradict Prime Minister Raila Odinga’s position on the matter.
Mr Odinga told an audience at Harvard University on Thursday that the US was “totally entitled” to take action it deems appropriate against Kenyan officials. Mr Ranneberger had earlier announced that the State Department had written letters to 15 Kenyan government officials who it accused of blocking reforms or propagating the use of violence to achieve political goals.
The letters are said to have warned the officials that they could be banned from travelling to the US if they persisted in standing in the way of institutional changes recommended under the National Accord brokered by former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan.
Among those said to have received the letters are Cabinet ministers Mutula Kilonzo, Uhuru Kenyatta, William Ruto, Franklin Bett, George Saitoti and John Michuki. On Saturday evening, a State House official said President Kibaki took the unusual step to write a “polite and candid note” to President Obama because he felt that the warning letters to government officials “personalised the issue of reforms yet it is a question of changing institutions rather than individuals”.