Odhiambo Orlale
21 January 2008
Nairobi — The British High Commissioner to Kenya, Mr Adam Wood, will on Wednesday officially declare whether his Government recognises President Kibaki as the winner of the disputed General Election or not.
The envoy, who was summoned by Foreign Affairs minister Moses Wetangula today, requested for more time to seek official clarification from London following a controversial debate in the House of Commons, last week, on the issue that has polarised the country for the past three weeks.
During the debate in London, the deputy minister for Foreign and Commonwealth affairs, Ms Meg Munn, had stated that the British Government did not recognise President Kibaki's Government following the disputed presidential elections, pitting PNU and ODM leader Raila Odinga.
Over 600 people have died and more than 600,000 have been displaced in post-polls violence after the chairman of the Electoral Commission of Kenya, Mr Samuel Kivuitu, declared Mr Kibaki as the victor. But Mr Kivuitu has since said he was not sure who won the hottest contested presidential elections in the country's 43 year history.
Last week, Ms Munn was quoted saying: "Our Government has not recognised the (Kibaki) Government and is calling on both leaders to co-operate in the process of mediation."
Mr Wetangula expressed the Government's "deep displeasure" with the statement saying he it had forced him to summon the High Commissioner to his office to express to him their "deep displeasure" with remark made in the House of Commons.
Said the tough-talking minister: "The issue of our elections is not a subject to be debated in a foreign parliament!"
He was addressing a news conference at his office after the two-hour closed-door meeting in his office.
Mr Wetangula reminded the envoy that the Government had a right to chose its friends if and when so wishes, and was not ready to be dictated to.
The minister said Kenya and the UK had strong diplomatic ties since independence in 1963 with each state being represented by a High Commissioner, by virtue of being members of the Commonwealth.
Mr Wetangula said he was shocked to read the remark in the media instead of receiving an official communication from the British Government through the Kenyan High Commissioner in London, Mr Joseph Muchemi.
"The issue of our recent General Elections is not a subject to be debated in a foreign Parliament because it is a Kenyan and African issue," the minister said, adding that is why President Kibaki had said he was ready for dialogue with the ODM leader through an international mediation team led by former United Nations secretary general, Mr Kofi Annan.
Said the minister: "I will reiterate that Kenya is a sovereign State and will not be a subject of unsolicited and unwarranted negative comments that will not enhance the bilateral ties."
Mr Wetangula announced that he was expecting to get a feed back from the British High Commissioner on Wednesday about their official position on the disputed presidential polls.
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