Wednesday, December 1, 2010
The Star - American embassy cables on Kenya to be leaked on Wikileaks
A total of 1,821 diplomatic cables from the US embassy in Nairobi are among the more than 251,000 documents that the website Wikileaks started releasing over the weekend.
The first 250 cables to be released do not include any from the American embassy in Kenya.
However they are expected to start coming out in the next few days.
The Kenyan diplomatic cables go back to 2005 but the majority cover the 2007 elections and the period of the coalition government. There is one cable from May 14,1996.
Diplomatic cables are confidential reports sent by ambassadors to their superiors in Washington.
The cables have only been partially released but have been given in full to the New York Times, Der Spiegel, the UK Guardian, France's Le Monde and Spain's El Pais."America's ambassadors can be merciless in their assessments of the countries in which they are stationed. That's their job.
Kenya? A swamp of flourishing corruption extending across the country. Fifteen high-ranking Kenyan officials are already banned from travelling to the United States, and almost every single sentence in the embassy reports speaks with disdain of the government of President Mwai Kibaki and Prime Minister Raila Odinga," states the international edition of the German magazine Der Spiegel.
Julian Assange, editor of the Wikileaks, described the cables as a "diplomatic history of the United States" that would cover "every major issue" as governments across the world braced for damaging revelations.
The cables contain confidential communications between 274 American embassies across the world and the State Department in Washington DC. Over 15,000 are classified "Secret".
It is expected that as the cables will shed light on the thinking behind Michael Ranneberger's swift congratulatory message to President Kibaki following the December 27, 2007 elections and the subsequent American turnaround to put pressure on the PNU to accept a coalition government.
On one day alone, January 2, 2008, as violence was raging in Kenya, the Nairobi embassy sent five cables to Washington.
"Cablegate" has so far unflattering views of world leaders Libyan President Muammar Gaddafi described as "just strange" by an adviser to Sultan Qaboos of Oman; Gaddafi's penchant for a voluptuous Ukrainian nurse; Robert Mugabe, Zimbabwe President, branded "the crazy old man" by Maite Nkoana-Mashabane, South Africa's international relations and cooperation minister; Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi described as "feckless, vain, and ineffective as a modern European leader", and a "physically and politically weak" leader whose "frequent late nights and penchant for partying hard mean he does not get sufficient rest."
Leaked US secrets: Puzzle of Raila call
As governments around the world remained stunned by leaked US diplomatic cables, some depicting them in unsavoury light, a late night call was placed from Washington to Prime Minister Raila Odinga.
The implication was that there could be worse to come from leaked secret communication from the American Embassy, after US Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, Johnny Carson, called the Prime Minister to apologise in advance.
The purpose appears to have been to prepare Nairobi for possible shock, should more memos on the leadership of the country be released, and to limit the damage they could do to US-Kenya relations.
On Wednesday, US Embassy spokesman John Haynes said senior State Department officials called Government officials to inform them and discuss their concerns. He did not elaborate.
But what was even more interesting was the rush by Government Spokesman Alfred Mutua to put a spin on the matter, even without full knowledge of what the remaining secret documents contain.
His speculative action unveiled a deep unease in Government over the leakages, and the situation rapidly descended into the comical as Dr Mutua opted to interpret the meaning of the late Monday night call to PM Raila for journalists at a press conference.
Wikileaks, an Internet-based organisation devoted to leaking US Government secrets, leaked the secret cables from US embassies all over the world. The words used in the cables are brutally raw and candid in their assessment of world governments and leaders by American envoys.
Those leaked so far have revealed truths that some governments would prefer buried, like Saudi Arabia’s push for the US to attack Iran’s nuclear sites.
More than 1,000 cables sent from the US Embassy in Nairobi, which are part of 2,500 that Wikileaks is leaking, have not been posted on the site yet, but are expected to reveal what the American envoys think of the Government.
But what surprised many was the speed with which Mutua jumped into the storm, and ‘revealed’ news of Carson’s call on Tuesday, claiming the apology was not about corruption claims made by US envoys.
Corruption claimsThe PM’s office confirmed that Carson, who was once a US ambassador in Nairobi, made the call on Monday night and offered an "apology in advance" on behalf of the Obama Government.
"The PM received the apology from Carson who told him of the anticipated leakages and apologised in advance," said the PM’s spokesman Denis Onyango.
 |
| US President Barack Obama. More than 1,000 cables sent from the US Embassy in Nairobi, which are part of 2,500 that Wikileaks is leaking, have not been posted on the site yet, but are expected to reveal what the American envoys think of the Government. |
Other sources intimated to The Standard that sections of the Government were apprehensive of the fact that the call was made to the PM Raila and not President Kibaki, and that this could explain Mutua’s spin on the unfolding events.
"Carson cannot call the PM over corruption claims. There is more to that call than meets the eye," said Mutua.
"They have been calling us corrupt for so long, and its true we are, but the apology by the US is not about corruption," Mutua said, on Tuesday.
Sources intimated to The Standard that the leaked cables could reveal more damaging information about the State and extent of grand corruption in the Government, and matters touching on security as viewed by the US Embassy.
Without explaining which country he was referring to, Mutua, speaking to journalists at a press conference in his KICC office on Tuesday, claimed there were foreign powers trying to create despondency against the Government using the youth.
He alleged foreign powers had been "funding youths to a tune of more than Sh1.6 billion" to oppose the State.
"The Government is concerned with foreign attempts to create despondency against the Government and the country in the guise of youth empowerment," he added.
Even though Mutua did not say which foreign power he was referring to, he left little doubt that the US was his target.
Foreign powersHowever, analysts hinted that Mutua could have been trying to put a spin on the matter; to lessen the impact of any damaging information on the country’s leadership that could be contained in the yet-to-be released cables.
US ambassador Michael Ranneberger has been involved in a programme sponsored by his Government, in which the Embassy directly deals with the youth.
Even as the Government spokesman was making his claims, US Undersecretary of State for Democracy and Global Affairs Maria Otero, and Ranneberger, were meeting representatives of the National Youth Forum (NYF) for a "roundtable on youth, reform and economic opportunities".
The NYF, which consists of over 60 organisations, were supposed to brief the undersecretary and the envoy on their recent activities related to implementation of the new Constitution and related reforms.
"A $47 million "Yes Youth Can!" initiative empowers youth to achieve a greater voice in national reform and create new employment opportunities," said the statement.
Yesterday, it was clear that the Government was stunned by Carson’s apology, yet they had no idea what other explosive information could be contained in the cables.
"The US Government indicated they are very sorry for the content in the leaked documents. They, however, have not told us what the document says, and what they are sorry for," said Mutua yesterday at Kenyatta International Conference Centre.
The cables depict Kenya as a swamp of flourishing corruption.
The Economic Times says remarks about Kenya’s leadership were contemptuous, while Germany’s Der Spiegel said, "Almost every single sentence in the embassy reports speaks with disdain of the Government of President Mwai Kibaki and Prime Minister Raila Odinga."
Cables from capitals like Harare compare scenarios of coups and even "quick deaths" of leaders.
For example, in a memo by the former US ambassador to Zimbabwe Christopher Dell, "Mugabe’s sudden, unexpected death would set off a stampede for power among Zanu-PF heavyweights; a palace coup, whether initiated within Zanu-PF or from the military - in which Mugabe is removed, killed, exiled or otherwise disposed of, could well devolve into open conflict between the contending successors.
Similarly, some form of "constitutional coup" i.e., a change at the top engineered within the framework of Zanu-PF’s ‘legitimate’ structures could well prove to be merely the opening bell in a prolonged power struggle.
Dell describes Mugabe as a clever tactician who is always ahead of the game.
"To give the devil his due, he is a brilliant tactician and has long thrived on his ability to abruptly change the rules of the game, radicalise the political dynamic and force everyone else to react to his agenda.
Turning to Morgan Tsvangarai, the PM of Zimbabwe’s coalition government, Dell describes him as a flawed figure, not readily open to advice, indecisive and with questionable judgement in selecting those around him.
The envoy says Tsvangirai is an indispensable element for opposition success in Zimbabwe, but possibly an albatross around their necks once in power.
"In short, he is a kind of Lech Walesa character: Zimbabwe needs him, but should not rely on his executive abilities to lead the country’s recovery," said Dell.
It is believed that the envoys in Nairobi could have made similar assessments of Kenyan leaders.
Ocampo flies in for key reform talks
Stephen Mudiari | Nation Kofi Annan leaves Serena hotel, Nairobi, after several meetings with ambassadors and Cabinet ministers on Tues night. He is expected to meet President Mwai Kibaki and Prime Minister Raila Odinga.
By BERNARD NAMUNANE AND LUCAS BARASA newsdesk@ke.nationmedia.comPosted Tuesday, November 30 2010 at 21:00
International Criminal Court Prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo is expected to outline his next step at a meeting to review progress on reforms.
He is expected reveal the stage of investigations and the challenges his team has faced.
The ICC prosecutor has been designated as a guest speaker at the meeting to be opened by Mr Kofi Annan, the former UN secretary-general who also chairs the Panel of Eminent African Personalities and Prime Minister Raila Odinga at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Nairobi.
Mr Moreno-Ocampo, who jetted arrived on Tuesday evening from The Hague, and Mr Annan will meet President Kibaki and Mr Odinga on Wednesday.
The prosecutor is expected to comment on allegations of manipulation and intimidation of witnesses, and government cooperation.
On Tuesday, the government was categorical it will cooperate with the ICC.
“You know we tried to set up a local tribunal, but MPs rejected it. That is how the envelope ended up with The Hague and we have no option but to co-operate with the ICC process,” Mr Odinga told visiting US Undersecretary for Democracy and Global Affairs, Ms Maria Otero.
Ms Otero said Kenya needs to co-operate on the ICC and clean up the Judiciary to end the culture of impunity.
“There is concern that Kenya has people who have not been thinking about the country. They have amassed wealth for themselves and they have created the impression that Kenyans are corrupt. That is the reputation you need to discard by co-operating with the ICC and reforming the Judiciary,” she said.
This is the second meeting to appraise the Coalition Government. The first one was held in Geneva in March last year.
Mr Annan, who arrived on Sunday, was the architect of the National Accord that ended two months of violent clashes in 2008.
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