Washington, DC — Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki was warmly welcomed at the White House by President George W. Bush Monday morning but at the end of the Oval office discussion that lasted almost an hour, Kenyan anxiety over a travel advisory that warns Americans against traveling to the East African nation had not been eased.
"Our countries face a common challenge," Bush said during a state arrival ceremony on South Ground in the front of the White House, in part, a reference to the fact that hundreds of Kenyans have been killed in bomb blasts set off by the al-Qaeda network. Kenya has been a top African tourist spot for Americans and around 7,000 U.S. citizens live there. "Kenya is a vital ally in the ongoing war against terror," Bush said, to applause.
But just days before the Kenyan president's arrival in Washington, an updated travel advisory warned U.S. citizens against travel to Kenya. "The [State] Department continues to urge Americans to defer all non-essential travel to Kenya at this time," the September 25 advisory said, warning of possible missile attacks, bombings and kidnapping that might target American and Western interests.
The Kenyan government immediately called the warning "unwarranted and unfair." In his meeting with Bush, President Kibaki sought without success to get a commitment for the lifting of the advisory. Kibaki argued that Kenya was no more at risk of terrorist attack than other countries, in and outside Africa yet warnings not to visit those nations had not been issued.
In Monday's meeting and elsewhere, Kibaki and other Kenyan officials have also argued that it is contradictory for the White House to encourage and praise Kenya's commitment to private enterprise and foreign investment while at the same time, the State Department issues warnings against travel to Kenya.
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At a brief press conference after their meeting neither President Bush nor President Kibaki was asked about the issue, and neither man chose to address it. President Bush again had high praise for the new Kenyan government. "Let me tell you, in many ways, we're the country asking for help. We asked the President in Kenya for help in fighting terror, and the response has been strong."
However, said the U.S. president, everything Kenya needs won't happen at once. "Success will take time, and progress may sometimes seem uneven."
The President repeated an announcement made earlier this year of a US$100m counter-terrorism initiative that will provide East African nations with training, equipment and assistance to strengthen security. "Kenya is our key partner in this initiative," he said.
President Kibaki put the best face possible on his disappointment: "We definitely do gain by talking to friends like America and seeking help. Now, if you are seeking for help, you cannot... say publicly whether it is adequate or whether it is not."
