Kalonzo accuses US envoy of being 'ethnic'

Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka and the US Ambassador to Kenya Michael Ranneberger pose for a photo during the US Independence Day celebrations that was held at the US Ambassador's residence in Muthaiga, Nairobi. PHOTO / FILE  

By KITAVI MUTUA kmutua@ke.nationmedia.comPosted Sunday, March 6 2011 at 13:22

Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka has accused outgoing US ambassador Michael Ranneberger of perpetrating ethnic animosity in his diplomatic cables to State Department superiors.

Mr Musyoka said it was wrong for Mr Ranneberger to describe some tribes as “small and insignificant in terms of political strength”.

“It is disturbing that the US ambassador chose to engage in ethnic divisions,” said Kalonzo, adding that all communities are equal regardless of their population numbers.

Leaked diplomatic cables dispatched by ambassador Ranneberger to the State Department in Washington have been particularly scathing on the Vice President. ( Read: Leaked US cables likely to shape 2012 campaigns )

Kalonzo took issue with one of the recently released US diplomatic cables which claimed he could not win the presidential race owing to his Kamba community's low population figures.

The Vice President was speaking in Mwingi town while presiding over a funds drive in aid of orphans and widow in Mwingi Central division.

Mr Musyoka said that Ranneberger had wasted his tour of duty in the country by engaging in irrelevant issues instead of the mandate given to him by his government.

Kalonzo's rebuttal comes as he begins the second round of the government’s diplomatic effort which will see him travel to Washington to lobby US leaders over deferment of the ICC post-election cases.