Kenya - Annan visit

Annan encouraged by pledges but rights activists disappointed

Article published on the 2009-10-08 Latest update 2009-10-08 18:19 TU

Former United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan (L) meets Kenya's President Mwai Kibaki (C) and Prime Minister Raila Odinga in Nairobi
(Photo: Reuters)

Former United Nations chief, Kofi Annan, has left Kenya saying he is encouraged by pledges made by Kenya's leaders. Some lcoal human rights activists, however, say Annan has been "hoodwinked" by the coalition government.

Annan had been holding talks with President Mwai Kibaki and Prime Minister Raila Odinga to try and speed up reforms and avoid a repeat of violence that followed the 2007 general election. Some 1,500 people were killed.

While he acknowledged progress had been made, he said it was important for the president and prime minister to listen to the voices of Kenyans, who were concerned over the pace of reforms.

The Kenyan government, meanwhile, welcomed Annan’s assessment on the state of reforms in the country, terming it “fair and candid.”

Government spokesman Alfred Mutua said on Thursday that the Kenya “welcomed the challenge by Dr Annan to accelerate reforms”.

“We are encouraged that despite starting from a background of antagonism and the teething problems of the coalition (government) we have been able to overcome a slow start, a view shared by Dr Annan,” he said.

But many Kenyans feel that the coalition government has failed to investigate the killings and implement reforms as it was expected to.

Some civil society and human rights groups say they are disappointed by Kofi Annan's visit.

Mwalimu Mati, a human rights' activist, told RFI that there was nothing knew in the talks.

“We have heard all this talk before,” he says.

“In fact at the last major press conference by the grand coalition cabinet they claimed that they were going to accelerate judicial and lease reforms and also to deal with impunity by trying to give the recently established truth commission a new judicial mandate."

“So at the end of the day I think this mission by Kofi Annan has not resulted in the Kenyan public feeling that he has got a handle on the implementation of the reform process in Kenya.

“A lot of people I am talking to believe that to a certain extent he has allowed himself to be hoodwinked by the government.”