New York
The woman who held the State Department’s
top Africa post prior to Ambassador Johnnie
Carson denounced on Wednesday his recent
warning to Kenyan voters of possible
“consequences” stemming from their choice of
president in the March 4 election.
“I am troubled by Johnnie Carson’s statement
that is essentially meddling in Kenya’s
election,” declared Jendayi Frazer, who served
as the Bush administration’s assistant
secretary of state for African affairs from 2005
to 2009.
“It is very reckless and irresponsible, given
that the election is very close, for us to try to
intervene in Kenya’s election decision,” Ms
Fraser added.
“We should not be threatening Kenyans about
their choice by pointing to an ICC case that is
not proven.”
“I think the ICC case against Uhuru Kenyatta is
a weak one based on hearsay,” Ms Fraser
added.
Speaking at a Washington think tank forum on
Kenya’s election, Ms Frazer questioned the
ICC’s legitimacy, saying the court is “a very
manipulated institution, particularly by the
West.”
Asked at the forum how she would respond to
a Kenyatta victory if she were still a senior
State Department official, Ms Frazer replied
that the US government “should continue to
work with the Kenyan government until the
point somebody is tried and convicted.”
“I would be very pragmatic,” she said, noting
that the United States is not a signatory to the
treaty that established the International
Criminal Court.
Ms Frazer added that the US has consistently
maintained contact with Sudan President
Omar al Bashir since his indictment by the ICC
in 2008 on charges of war crimes.
“Even if the Kenyan people vote for Uhuru to
be president, I’m positive the US
administration will deal with him,” Ms Frazer
said. She noted in this context that Secretary
of State John Kerry had engaged in diplomacy
with Sudan’s leadership as an emissary of
President Obama.
The former assistant secretary of state
expressed optimism that widespread violence
will be avoided in the coming election.
Ms Frazer, who now serves as distinguished
service professor at Carnegie Mellon
University in the US, cited Kenya’s new
Constitution, the country’s more independent
judiciary and the comparative credibility of its
new elections commission as key factors that
will help produce a peaceful outcome.
In addition, Kenya’s strong civil society “is not
going to allow politicians to mobilise violence”
in 2013, she said.

seriously?