Now its a Raila/Clinton luncheon

Prime Minister Raila Odinga’s office on Sunday downplayed the effect of cancellation of an invitation for a luncheon with US President Barack Obama.

Mr Odinga had been invited by the White House, together with selected heads of state from Africa, but his invitation was later cancelled.

PM’s director of communications, Mr Dennis Onyango, said the luncheon scheduled for Tuesday was not in Mr Odinga’s diary. His views contradicted official communication from the White House that his earlier invitation was cancelled.

“The impression created that the PM was dropped from Obama’s luncheon is incorrect. The luncheon was not on the PM’s itinerary as he left Nairobi because he would be attending a luncheon with (former) president (Bill) Clinton at that same time,” said Mr Onyango in a message to the Daily Nation.

Mr Odinga is in New York as head of Kenya’s delegation to the 64th session of the United Nations General Assembly. He arrived there on Saturday night to news of the cancellation of a luncheon with President Obama set for later this week.

This followed confusion over whether he would attend the luncheon, hosted by the White House for selected leaders from sub-Saharan Africa on the sidelines of the UN meeting.

New York-based Kenyan ambassador to the UN Zachary Muburi-Muita was asked by the State Department on Friday to “disinvite” Mr Odinga from the September 22 luncheon with Mr Obama in New York for African leaders.

A dispatch to the Foreign Affairs ministry from Kenya’s Ambassador to Washington, Mr Peter Ogego, confirmed the cancellation.

Mr Muburi-Muita had on Monday last week received an invitation letter for the PM to attend the luncheon and had confirmed this to the Nation.

The PM is expected to make his address to the General Assembly on Friday afternoon as the 12th speaker while he is also expected to attend a high-level meeting on climate change as well as holding meetings with other leaders.

The PM will also hold discussions with officials from the Clinton Global Initiative and attend the Africa Investor Index Series Summit.

He is further scheduled to hold discussions with the International Contact Group on Somalia and attend another meeting on Level Event on Reducing Emission from Deforestation and Forest Degradation in Developing Countries.
It also likely that the issue of the Mau Forest Complex, the subject of intense debate in the country, will be discussed at the UN meet.

On Thursday, the PM will deliver a lecture at Harvard University’s Kennedy school of public administration on his Vision on the Challenges of Democratic Transition and Transfer of Power in Africa.

Ministers Wycliffe Oparanya (Planning), Beth Mugo (Public Health and Sanitation) and John Michuki (Environment) are accompanying the Prime Minister.
President Obama, the son of a Kenyan father, has kept his distance from both President Mwai Kibaki and Prime Minister Odinga as a sign of US displeasure with Kenya’s response to official corruption, ethnic violence and police abuses.


FROM NATION