BRITAIN HELPING

Britain is committed to helping Kenya achieve the Millennium Development Goals with “significant development assistance.”

The country’s Department for International Development (DfID) minister Stephen O’Brien revealed this to Prime Minister Raila Odinga, who is on an official visit to the European state. Mr Odinga also met with Foreign Office minister Henry Bellingham.

The two meetings were described as “positive” by London’s Foreign Office.

Commitment

The UK ministers reaffirmed Britain’s commitment to working with Kenya to build on the “deep relationship” between the two countries and its people in areas like trade, tourism and development.

Mr Odinga also briefed the ministers of the new coalition government of Conservatives and Liberal Democrats on the 2007 post-poll violence and prosecutions concerning those responsible.

A statement by DfID after the meeting welcomed Kenya’s cooperation with the International Criminal Court.

Mr Bellingham noted the importance of Kenya’s reform agenda to the country’s stability and prosperity.

Law review

He also praised progress on Kenya’s constitutional review ahead of the August referendum and reiterated UK support in the reform agenda.

The DfID statement also said the UK ministers “encouraged strong leadership from Prime Minister Odinga and President Kibaki, to combat corruption and impunity”.

The ongoing audit into the missing free education funds and piracy in the Indian Ocean were also on the agenda. Mr Odinga met UK Prime Minister David Cameron on Friday.