Address causes of unrest, says Frazer

By Alex Ndegwa

A top US official has said the political crisis in the country cannot be resolved by simply "dishing out political seats" but by seriously addressing "fundamental challenges" that triggered the unrest.

US Assistant Secretary of State for Africa Affairs, Dr Jendayi Frazer, said constitutional reforms were necessary to clip the imperial powers of the president, address social grievances and strengthen governance institutions such as the ECK to forestall a similar crisis in future.

Frazer, however, was emphatic that it was the US position that the dispute over the outcome of the presidential election be resolved within the rule of law and established institutions.

The official — who separately met President Kibaki and Mr Raila Odinga — said the two leaders had demonstrated willingness to engage in dialogue and restore calm. But the main obstacle, she added, was mistrust and hence, the call for an international mediator to build confidence.

She said the US backs diplomatic efforts by Ghanaian President, Mr John Kufuor, to mediate talks between the Government and ODM. She made a case for a coalition government, crafted according to the party with a parliamentary majority.

"The US hopes that the two leaders would do more than accommodate each other in a power sharing strategy. Constitutional reforms are important to strengthen institutions and deal with social injustices including even distribution of resources," said Frazer adding that the US was a defender of democracy and urged for reforms to protect the outcome of the people’s constitutional right to vote.

She said: "The people of Kenya have been cheated by the political leaders and institutions." She added, "The US was deeply concerned with the presidential vote tallying process."

Asked about the options during negotiations and whether a presidential run off was expected, Frazer responded that it was up to the two leaders to hammer out a compromise.

However, she noted that the law stipulated that once the ECK had announced results, any party contesting the outcome should seek remedy in the courts.

Noting that ODM had raised doubts about the courts impartiality, Frazer suggested that the Opposition could still sponsor a vote of no confidence against the Government since it had a majority seats.

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