Obama funding 'Yes' campaigns

A US congressman now accuses President Obama of running a political campaign in Kenya and failing to observe neutrality in the debate on Proposed Constitution.

Speaking a day after Higher Education Minister William Ruto, who is leading the 'No' side, accused US Ambassador Michael Ranneberger, of interfering with Kenya's reform process, Mr Christopher Smith claimed the US has pumped Sh50 million into 'Yes' campaigns.

"By funding NGOs charged with obtaining ‘Yes’ vote, the (US) Administration has crossed the line," he said.

He added: "Directly supporting efforts to register ‘Yes’ voters and ‘get out the ‘Yes’ vote’ means the US Government is running a local political campaign. US taxpayer funds should not be used to support one side or the other."

The New Jersey Republican Party member is among three US lawmakers who have requested an investigation into US activities in Kenya in the lead-up to the August 4 referendum.

His statements may stir complaints in the US against Obama, who has Kenyan roots, of taking sides because of his heritage.

Obama himself has, however, adopted the line he supports the reform process, but not the referendum result.

Ranneberger, on the on the other hand, has, appeared to be more blunt in his statements in favour of the draft law. On Tuesday he received ‘defectors’ into the ‘Yes side from ‘No’.

In a report, Smith, a Ranking Member of the House Subcommittee on Africa and Global Health, said the US taxpayer-funded agreements had been awarded to NGOs to work up support for the Proposed Constitution against America’s expected principle of neutrality.

He gave several examples he claimed showed how the US State funds were being funnelled to support the ‘Yes’ campaigns, including a kitty operated by a PC.

"There is no doubt that the Obama Administration is funding the ‘Yes’ campaign… by funding NGOs charged with obtaining ‘Yes’ votes, the Administration has crossed the line," said Smith, in a report published on his personal website, http://chrissmith.house.gov).

But yesterday Ranneberger told The Standard the US was not funding the ‘Yes’ team but engaged in civic education through interest groups.

"The US Government is not supporting any group, but we have laid emphasis on civic education for the simple reason it would lay ground for the overall reform agenda for Kenya," said Ranneberger.

Smith explained he got the details of how US taxpayer funds were being pumped into the ‘Yes’ campaigns by checking out with the Inspector-General of the US Agency for International Development (USaid), which is active in Kenya.

The discussions also involved other US congress member, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (Ranking Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee), and Darrell Issa (Ranking Member of the Oversight and Government Reform Committee). He reported the three of them "received a chart listing USaid funding recipients and a summary of their agreements."

"The draft constitution, with its controversial provisions expanding access to abortion, is a matter for the Kenyan people to consider and decide," Smith said, as he hinted the decision to spend the money could have been fuelled by what he called Obama Administration’s liberal view on abortion.

"The Obama Administration need not be shopping around for new places to export its abortion agenda at taxpayers’ expense," he added, in his hard-hitting statement.

Among the beneficiaries of the funds as per a USaid chart are what is referred to as Provincial Peace Forum, Eastern Providence $97,633.33 (Sh7.3million).

The justification for these funds, according to the chart, is to "gain buy-in for the Proposed Constitution by educating the professional elite in Isiolo South constituency about its benefits and getting their commitment to use their influence to ensure people register and vote ‘Yes’ at the referendum."

The umbrella organisation for workers, Cotu, which has been having weekly televised pro-‘Yes’ campaigns is listed as having received $91,106.66 (about Sh6.9 million). The PC North Eastern Province is listed as having got about Sh7.5million, the Kenya Muslim Youth Alliance (KMYA) Sh4.3 million, and the Provincial Peace Forum in Rift Valley Sh7million.

The other recipients are listed as Inter-community Peace Choir Organisation (Sh2.9million), North Rift Theatre Ambassadors, (Sh2.8million), Amani Peoples Theatre (Sh3.2million), Christian Community Services (Sh2.9million), and Pokot Outreach Ministries (Sh2.8million). The report claims all the recipients of the Sh50.6million had clear instructions or mandate to support ‘Yes’ vote.

Another congressman

Interestingly, the revelations come days after another visiting US Congressman said he would seek investigation of Republican and rightwing Christians believed to have funded the ‘No’ camp to the tune of $250,000 (Sh19million).

Rhode Island’s Patrick Kennedy argued Kenya’s fundamentalist Christians have successfully harnessed the US rightwing to their agenda, through a campaign of misinformation.

Kennedy, a nephew of former US President JF Kennedy, promised to write to the Congress Oversight Committee next week seeking a disclosure of groups funding opponents of Kenya’s Proposed Constitution and amount of money donated.

Accompanying Kennedy was Minnesota’s congressman Keith Ellison, who said he would support such hearings. Elison is the first Muslim to be elected to Congress.

There are also reports Republican opponents of Obama intend to introduce a Motion in the House of Representatives to censure the US President for allegedly supporting the Proposed Constitution.

Ruto has claimed Ranneberger was has been dishing out cash to the ‘Yes’ MPs but the envoy said these were part of ‘No’ team’s lies. "These claims are categorically false, and those making such allegations are lying," read Ranneberger’s statement on Monday.

He said the US supports the constitutional review as the centrepiece of the broad reform agenda agreed to following post-election crisis.

In his latest statement on Kenya’s reform process, Obama said, "…this is a singular opportunity to put Kenyan governance on a more solid footing that can move beyond ethnic violence; can move beyond corruption; can move the country towards a path of economic prosperity. And so, I hope that everybody participates, everybody takes advantage of this moment, and those who would try to undermine this process, I think, are making a big mistake."

During his June visit, US Vice-President Joe Biden called on Kenyans to resist politicians spreading lies about the proposed law, saying a new constitution would deepen the roots of democracy and strengthen governance institutions.