http://blogs.state.gov/index.php/site/index/ en U.S. Department of State 2012-02-11T15:54:03+00:00
good blog.....keep going...]]> http://blogs.state.gov/index.php/entires/back_to_kenya/ Tue Aug 25, 2009
Amb. Carson: I appreciated your statement. My family and I resided in Nairobi during my initial foreign service tour as a regional food for peace officer between 1978 and 1980. It was a marvelous time one of the happiest for us as a young family in a lovely place with most hospitable people.

"Mzee" Kenyatta had passed on the week before our arrival in Nairobi. Everyone looked to Daniel Arap Moi as a reformer. Charles Njonjo stayed on as Atty. General in the formative days of his government and we all had high hopes that at last, Kenya was on the path towards clean governance when we departed Kenya in Dec. 1980.

It would be 26 years before I returned on my first visit to Kenya as a retired USAID contractor. Moi's long years in power have only left behind great disappointment. Njonjo who spearheaded reform was only the first who had to flee Kenya for his life while corruption only goes from bad to worse. The thing is, Kenya's vibrant economy of the late '70s could absorb its effects and carry on. That is by far, no longer the case today.

Kenya now stands at the most critical junction in its history. It can either choose to a path towards reform however painful, beginning at the top and at the bottom in the primary grades. Or if Kenya continues on the other fork in the road, it becomes the "Nigeria" of East Africa regarding which I need not say more.

We can only hope Kenyans choose the former path and help consolidate the reform process once the choice is made.

I shall look forward to visiting your blog on a regular basis.]]> http://blogs.state.gov/index.php/entires/back_to_kenya/ Mon Aug 10, 2009
Anyone who knows Kenya knows that its greatest weakness is the lack of institutional progress. What seems difficult is to suggest possible solutions to this lack of progress. How about the withdrawal of recogniton of the present government, through not appointing any ambassador to the country once Ambassador Ranneberger leaves? How about prohibiting AG Amos Wako from being part of international meetings until he begins to prosecute some actual high level perpetrators of violence and corruption? Steps that will force institutions to work are the only ones that might move the country forward,]]> http://blogs.state.gov/index.php/entires/back_to_kenya/ Sat Aug 08, 2009
I feel the same and understand that what you have written on Kenya is true because i am a Kenyan who wants to help the people and tell them or bring to the light and show them that it is us Kenyans who will decide our childrens and countries fate. But honestly why go back home to help when all will happen is that those in power will kill you for helping the poor and speaking the truth. Its something all Kenyans want ,believe me, but when you have one ready to harm you what do you do.Please me and lots of other Kenyans here in America want to help our people but the question is how? and who will protect us> Thank you for this blog....Its this stories that need to be seen by all. I am a Kenyan and I agree with you on all you say. It is even worse than you have pointed out.]]> http://blogs.state.gov/index.php/entires/back_to_kenya/ Fri Aug 07, 2009
@ Secretary Carson -- Thank you for such a genuine and heartfelt posting. It is obvious how much you love Kenya. It looks, from the photo, to be a beautiful country. I hope we will be able to help them get back to their original plans of democracy and personal freedoms. I appreciate that we are again focusing on the African nations. So much suffering, from droughts, to HIV/AIDS, to genocide and human trafficking, to the huge problem of so many orphaned children. Overwhelming. A special thank you to Secretary Clinton for all her incredible hard work. She is truly amazing.]]> http://blogs.state.gov/index.php/entires/back_to_kenya/ Fri Aug 07, 2009
Dear Mr. Carson

This post was in slightly different context, but I'm curious whether you think my observation on democratic evolution might prove true in general terms as a factor of the human condition.

Best,

EJ

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http://blogs.state.gov/index.php/entries/obama_meets_with_clinton/

"If I were to make a comparison of where their democratic timeline towards a functioning democracy is at presently:

One might make a brief comparison with the old Chicago Mob days, "machine" politics included.

Those were tough times for us as a democracy. Organized crime can be a terminal illness to the democratic process, and it took a lot of time and effort on the federal government's part to put and end to it.

It may be a phase all democracies go through at some point in their evolution, and recognizing this, I think America's best foot forward on this issue with Russia would be in supporting the Russian Federation's ability to cope with a serious internal dillema, whether that be simple moral support for legitimate efforts to combat organized crime, the protection of those trying to hold folks to account for what's going on around them, and institutional support, whether that be simple consultation on how the U.S. sucessfully handled our growing pains, to offer ideas, and perhaps some expertice and exchange beteen our FBI and their complimentary branch of service.

Democracy after all, is not just "the great experiment", it's a learning process that takes generations to get right.

An ongoing process that really has no end to it, as we're still trying to perfect our's.

A "multipartnered world" makes too much sense to ignore."

Posted on Thu Jul 16, 2009]]> http://blogs.state.gov/index.php/entires/back_to_kenya/ Fri Aug 07, 2009
All very true, but when all is said and done, as long as Kenyans continue to vote in these leaders who continue to exploit us for their own selfish wants, this country shall and will never change, Change has to come from us, the kenyan people, not our leaders.]]> http://blogs.state.gov/index.php/entires/back_to_kenya/ Fri Aug 07, 2009