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Sunday, June 6, 2010

Obama arriving soon

US Vice President Joe Biden arrives in the country on Monday.

Biden, the highest ranking US official to ever visit Kenya will meet with key leaders, including Kenyan President Kibaki and Prime Minister Odinga.

Biden and the two Principals are expected to discuss a range of bilateral issues. He is also expected to push the realisation of a new constitution.

A Statement from White House said Biden and his wife are on tour of Africa that will also see them attend the opening ceremony of the World Cup in South Africa.

US President Barack Obama On Thuursday said he was sending his deputy, Biden to Kenya to convey his support for the constitutional process.

He urged Kenyans to take advantage of the constitutional review process to ensure sound governance and robust institutions in the country.

In the first ever exclusive interview with KBC the US President said Kenya has immense potential to grow into an African powerhouse but blamed corruption and bad politics for the wanting state of affairs in the country.

Obama who was speaking to KBC's Rachael Nakitare in an exclusive Oval Office interview on June 1st also promised to visit Kenya.

President Obama urged Kenyans to participate in the referendum scheduled for August 4 calling it a "singular opportunity to put the government of Kenya on solid footing beyond ethnicity violence, corruption and towards economic prosperity".

He hailed the leadership of President Mwai Kibaki and Prime Minister Raila Odinga in having brought the review process this far and urged Kenyans to"take advantage of the moment".

He said the new constitution could help establish the rule of law, protect human rights and reduce the kind of ethnic violence that erupted throughout the country in 2008 following the disputed results of the 2007 general elections.

"Regardless of whether they vote Yes or No I just want to make sure that they participate," President Obama told Nakitare.

"I don't think it's any secret...to people I've talked to, including my family members, that there's been frustration over the years, about the constant corruption that is preventing economic development," President Obama said.

"I think people are frustrated about the continuing ethnic rivalries that exist in Kenya, when we all know a country only succeeds when it pulls together. People are frustrated when it comes to the rule of law, or how the police operate, which is not as transparent as it should be. This is an opportunity to fix many of these things," he added.

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