Earl of Sandwich: Intervention in Kenya

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The Earl of Sandwich writes for ePolitix.com about political stability in Kenya ahead of his question in the Lords on Wednesday.

Kenya is a Commonwealth country with which we have close aid and trade links. It still enjoys a relatively good image in the UK. But it is a volatile nation, recovering from a severe shock from the post-election violence which left hundreds dead early in 2008.

The churches, UN and voluntary agencies had to cope with the immediate relief work, including the drawing up of an emergency report by the human rights commission. But it was only after several weeks of negotiations, through the personal intervention of Kofi Annan and African leaders, that a new coalition government was forged together in April, representing the two major parties led by President Kibaki and Raile Odinga, who became prime minister.

At the same time, a commission headed by Judge Philip Waki made a number of urgent recommendations to bring those responsible for the violence before a tribunal. But it took months more for the government to appoint a new electoral commission and, over a year later, the main recommendations have still not been implemented.

I was a member of the UK Commonwealth Parliamentary Association delegation which visited Nairobi last November. We went to a camp for displaced persons near Naivasha, visited HIV/AIDS projects and spent several days with MPs and others concerned with strengthening parliament.

In Kenya, too, the issue of MPs' expenses was then of major public concern and a media obsession. But I returned from Kenya convinced that, unless something was done to follow up killings and human rights abuses at the time of the election, Kenyans would lose faith in their coalition and parliament and violence could easily return.

Kenya is known to many people in this country as a tourist destination, but its internal affairs are not a concern of the British Parliament – except in the context of Somalia which is a more immediate threat to peace. I secured a debate on Africa in March which attempted to raise Kenya’s profile. I have a starred question in the House of Lords this Wednesday, to ask the government what steps they are taking to promote political stability in Kenya.

I know that good governance is already a priority within the UK aid programme and that we have supported a range of reforms in the National Assembly, including advice with procedure and the upgrading of the library and IT equipment.

But the Kenyan people need more fundamental reform. They have suffered enough. They would like to see justice done now to the victims of last year's violence and an end to corruption in the police and judiciary. Many of the victims died from police gunfire. A new taskforce on police reforms has been set up, but does that mean that the police service is at last to be investigated?

Will the recommendations of the Waki Commission be carried out, including the establishment of a special tribunal? Another related issue is whether people have enough confidence in the Kenyan courts, or will the accused have to be taken to international courts in Arusha or The Hague.

The Annan process is not yet complete, and most Kenyans would be happy to see more international intervention. Is the UK, for example, involved in the setting up of a Truth and Reconciliation Commission? These are some of the questions I hope will be answered on Wednesday.

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