By Isaac Kariuki- Diaspora Messenger
The U.S Ambassador to Kenya Michael Ranneberger said that he is not on the side of Raila nor Kibaki.
In a meeting at the State Dept Building in Washington DC with several Kenyans representing various organization and interests, the Ambassador said that his interest and that of the U.S Govt is for the success of Kenya and a good future for the people of Kenya. They want to see Kenya do well.
The meeting was organized to give the Ambassador an opportunity to meet with Kenyan Diaspora leaders for a dialogue. The Ambassador shared his perspective on Kenyan affairs and reiterated how important Kenya is to the whole world and the enormous relationship it has with the U.S. He said that More than 300,000 Kenyans live in the United States, and about 7,000 Kenyan students are studying in the U.S. the largest contingent of African university students.
Also, he said that The United States is contributing approximately $3 billion annually to Kenya’s economy and development through official assistance, trade, American private sector investment, remittances, humanitarian assistance, and private projects being carried out by thousands of American citizens.
According to him, The Kenyan youth are now very interested in the affairs of the country and have big impact in the country. They have grassroots organizations that are pushing for reforms and the Ambassador is working to encourage them to push the leaders for the implementation of the reforms. He said that the 2008 crises opened up an unparalleled opportunity for fundamental reforms that will benefit everyone.
Ambassador Ranneberger said that the Diaspora Community is very important to Kenya and hope to see more involvement where the Diaspora can use the available resources and expertise to impact the country positively. The round table contribution stressed the importance of unity and reconciliation in Diaspora in order to export the right message back home and the need to use the internet and other electronic media responsibly.
Comments