Kenya: “The War Talk That Has Everyone Stunned"

The latest signs of political repression in Kenya and frequent government warnings of purported guerrilla threats, coupled with a barrage of harsh verbal attacks on the international community, have raised questions about where Kenya is heading. One question is the timing of what one leading independent newspaper has called “the war talk that has everyone stunned." (Just remember, this was written in June 1995, not January 2008).

Many Kenyan and foreign observers are puzzled about the timing of the latest political turmoil in Kenya. It comes as the government of President Daniel Arap Moi is preparing for talks with its major western aid donors in Paris in late July (1995).

Under normal circumstances, those donors should be pleased with what has been happening in Kenya from an economic standpoint.

In a speech marking a national holiday (Madaraka Day) this week, President Moi hailed his country's recent economic achievements, including substantial reductions in the rate of inflation and the lowering of interest rates.

The country's latest growth figures are described by diplomatic sources as solid and impressive. These sources credit the government for taking important and tough liberalization measures sought by donor countries, including the removal of most currency, import and price controls. Authorities have, in addition, tightened up on government spending, trimmed the civil service and moved to improve tax collections.

Diplomats say the donors still have some economic concerns, chiefly in the realm of financial corruption.

But essentially the coming Paris meeting was called by donors who are worried about the course of political events in the country. They are so worried that Germany, for example, has already scaled back its financial assistance to Kenya. Denmark is reportedly poised to do the same. Others have frozen further aid disbursements.

Diplomats and other observers point to the recent arrests and harassment of opposition politicians as a matter of critical concern to some donors. They also recall recent charges in the Kenya Times, the paper of the ruling KANU party, that the US and British business communities were allegedly linked to the racist KKK group in a plot with the opposition to restore colonialism in the country.

The list of troublesome events also includes a charge by President Moi himself that Italians were allegedly conspiring with the opposition to create chaos in the country.

And it includes the arrest of two Norwegian journalists who were looking into the trial of a leading Kenyan dissident.

The independent weekly newspaper "the East African" commented recently that for a country that needs all the international good will it can muster ahead of the Paris talks, Kenya has, in its words, demonstrated a remarkable maladroitness of late in its foreign relations.

Still, Mr. Moi continues to renew its warnings about foreign conspiracies. And in his holiday speech this week, the Kenyan leader said that while his country appreciates constructive criticism from its friends, it loathes being dictated to on internal matters.

Unfortunately for Kenya, the confrontation comes at a time when most analysts say foreign dollars are desperately needed to sustain the pace of economic development in the country. The infrastructure is generally viewed as crumbling and financial assistance, whether from donors or from private investors, will be essential to the rehabilitation and reconstruction of the nation's road network as well as its strapped energy sector.