Tuesday, July 05, 2005

Telling it like it is in Kenya

In the midst of all the hullabaloo over Live 8 and the G8 wanting people and governments to don8, a heretofore little known diplomat in Kenya makes some waves. William Bellamy, the U.S. ambassador to Kenya, at a garden party at the U.S. embassy in Nairobi, gave the startled assembly of guests some straight talk they were not expecting to hear.
"Turning on the fire hose of international compassion and asking Kenya and other African nations to drink from it is not a serious strategy for promoting growth or ending poverty," he said.

"The United States is committed to helping Kenya defeat this menace and will provide any and all assistance Kenya requires. We seek from Kenyan authorities a corresponding measure of vigor and commitment in confronting this challenge."

"Kenya's investigation and prosecution of terrorist crimes remains far below the standard required to deal with the threats at hand," Mr. Bellamy told his guests.
Kenyan Information Minister Raphael Tuju got up to give a congratulatory Independance Day toast and the whining commenced.
Mr. Tuju first criticized the U.S. State Department travel warning for Kenya and East Africa, renewed on Friday, which he said unfairly singles out Kenya for terrorism concerns simply because of its proximity to lawless Somalia - Waaah!

He said the United States unfairly had cut Kenya out of its aid-for-reform program known as the Millennium Challenge Account and unreasonably had excluded Kenya from debt relief being given to other African nations - Waaah!

"The Millennium Challenge Account that should help run pro-poor projects and directly benefit the poor should not get entangled with the politics of your dissatisfaction with a regime, unless you have decided on a regime change," he said - Waaaaaaah!

The guests laughed nervously.
I'll bet.

Links to others who verify but no longer trust:
Cutting Edge of Ecstasy - They're Still Singing The Same Old Song On Aid To Africa
A Constrained Vision - African Reactions to Live 8
Mambo's Bolg - Live8 should have had African bands

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