Analysts in Nairobi suspect that United States President George W Bush left Kenya out of his five-day African tour as a way of punishing the East African nation for its failure to support the US-led war against Iraq.
During the US-led campaign to topple Saddam Hussein, Kenya refused to join the ”coalition of the willing” and insisted on United Nations Security Council approval for any use of force against Iraq.
”Americans are wizards of diplomacy. Bush intentionally avoided Kenya and visited Uganda, in order to pass a signal to President Mwai Kibaki that there is much to benefit from by supporting Uncle Sam,” said Walter Mwangi, a lecturer at the University of Nairobi.
The Bush itinerary instead includes Uganda, the only East African nation that supported Bush during the Iraq War; Senegal, a newfound friend since it drifted away from France; booming Botswana, a jewel of African democracy, and regional economic powerhouses Nigeria and South Africa.
Many Kenyans are vexed about the Bush stayaway, feeling they suffered most when Osama bin Laden’s al-Qaeda disciples attacked the US embassy in Nairobi in 1998, killing 213 people including 12 Americans.
”Kenyans are not happy that Bush avoided visiting Kenya. We suffered attacks targeting the US because of our close ties with it,” Mohamed Hyder, chairperson of the Muslim Civic Education Trust, said.
”Even so, it seems that the US is arm-twisting Kenya into passing a newly drafted anti-terrorism Bill and supporting the US in whatever it does,” Hyder said.
The snub has reinforced an already chilly attitude stemming from Washington’s warnings that Kenya is a hub for extremist groups and accusing Nairobi of failing to rectify the situation.
Mwangi said Bush’s unexpected decision to skip Kenya was part of an elaborate plot to get Kenya to toe the US line.
Other ordinary Kenyans say that a Bush visit to Nairobi would have restored confidence in efforts to beef up the state security apparatus after Kenyan, British and US governments, citing intelligence sources, said terrorists were planning attacks on their interests. — Sapa-AFP