From: barnhart@gagme.chi.il.us (Mr. Aaron Barnhart)
Subject: IPS: KENYA: Foreign Minister pleads for end of aid suspension
Originator: barnhart@gagme
Organization: Evanston, Illinois, U.S.A.
Date: Mon, 12 Oct 1992 02:19:50 GMT

Copyright Inter Press Service 1992, all rights reserved.  Permission to re-
print within 7 days of original date only with permission from 'newsdesk'.

Title: KENYA: Foreign Minister pleads for end of aid suspension


washington, oct 2 (ips) -- citing steps taken by his government to
create a multi-party democracy and new threats from islamic
fundamentalists in sudan, kenyan foreign minister wilson ndolo
ayah called here friday for the united states and other aid donors
to resume assistance soon.

ayah, who met with acting secretary of state lawrence
eagleburger friday afternoon, said kenya is now a ''target'' of
fundamentalists based in khartoum and urged the washington to take
the problem ''seriously.''

''when you have a missionary group with a political aim, and
when you have a country like kenya which is facing elections of a
multi-party nature for the first time in 18 years, you are
potentially dealing with a very dangerous situation,'' ayah told
reporters at the national press club.

the alleged threat from sudan, which ayah said was exacerbated
by tens of thousands of refugees who have flowed into northern
kenya from sudan, ethiopia, and somalia, appeared to be a new
wrinkle in nairobi's campaign to get renewed assistance from the
world bank and other donor nations.

the bank and kenya's donors announced last november that they
would make no new aid commitments to kenya until the government of
president daniel arap moi implemented economic and political
reforms.

immediately after the announcement, made at a consultative
group meeting in paris, the moi government legalised opposition
parties and promised elections at some point in the future.

it has also implemented some economic reforms urged by the
international financial community to ensure more protection for
foreign investors and the private sector and greater
''transparency'' and accountability to stem corruption.

last week, kenyan finance minister george saitoti, speaking
after meeting with officials of the world bank and the
international monetary fund (imf) here, said both agencies had
endorsed kenya's reform programme and would soon resume lending.

but bank officials here told ips this week that saitoti's
claims were ''a bit exagerrated and premature''.

''that is not our position,'' said one official.  ''we are
looking for more progress dealing with parastatals, the exchange
rate, and the central bank,'' he said. (more/ips)

kenya: foreign minister pleads for end of aid suspension(2-e)

kenya: foreign minister (2)

friday, ayah also appeared to back off saitoti's prediction,
saying that the bank was ''not yet'' ready to release funding.

''we were hoping it would be done soon,'' he said, adding that
''we certainly hope that it'll be released before elections'',
which he said will be called some time between mid-october and
march.

britain is reportedly urging other donors to consider resuming
aid when moi sets the election date.

but u.s. officials told ips this week that setting the date
will probably not be enough under present circumstances.

''yes, we want an election, but we are very concerned about the
harassment of opposition leaders and evidence that moi has been
inciting ethnic conflict in parts of the country,'' said one
official.

human rights groups with influence here are also warning the
government not to lift the aid ban when moi sets the election
date.  at the very least, they say, moi must meet with opposition
leaders to arrange a non-partisan election commission and permit
enough observers to enter the country to properly monitor the
polls.

this was echoed friday by the state department which said,
''election monitoring by the international community and domestic
groups is essential to insure the credibility of the electoral
process.''

ayah, in response, said the government had invited observer
teams from the commonwealth and the european parliament.  he
formally invited a u.s. delegation during his meeting with
eagleburger, according to the state department.

but he said the national democratic institute (ndi) here, which
has been particularly active in monitoring elections in africa
over the past several years, was not ''impartial'' and thus
unlikely to welcome a ''change of attitude.''

the ndi, a branch of the democratic party here, has met with
kenyan officials in nairobi and strongly criticised the electoral
law and the way election registration was carried out.

ayah also stressed that kenya now needs more aid because of the
refugee situation in the north and the ongoing drought that has
affected parts of the country for three years in a row.  he said
the country was currently host to about 450,000 somali refugees
and another 50,000 ethiopians and an increasing number of
sudanese.

he said the islamic party of kenya was ''purely externally
funded,'' organised from khartoum and other middle east capitals,
and was aiming at the ''destabilisation of kenya and other areas
in east africa.'' (end/ips/ip/jl/yjc/92)