US Expresses Confidence in Kenya’s Election Preparations

The new United States Ambassador to Kenya Margaret Whitman has expressed confidence in the preparation for Tuesday’s general election.

In her first media briefing on Sunday, Whitman said the US looks forward to a free, fair and transparent electoral process as well as a peaceful transition of power.

While affirming that they remain non-partisan, the ambassador said the US has been working closely with Kenyan institutions for the last 18 months to ensure the election is free, fair and transparent.

 “We stand shoulder to shoulder with Kenyans during this election period. We support democratic values in ensuring free, fair and transparent elections but we are non-partisan,” said Whitman.

“Everyone feels more confident we have done everything we can to be helpful to the Kenyan government and the people in that regard.”

She indicated that unlike in the past elections, there is confidence around the 2022 elections as seen by businesses continuing to invest in the country.

“Businesses and people gain confidence by free, fair and transparent elections with a peaceful transition of power and I think there is a great deal of confidence that the elections are on the right trajectory. Businesses want to be in an environment where there is some certainty as uncertainty is not a friend of businesses,” she added.

She called on the Kenyan government to play its role in ensuring that Tuesday’s elections are violent-free.

“We play a supportive role to the Kenyan government to run a violent-free election but we cannot take responsibility for that. We can only be helpful in our long-term relationship with the police and others but ultimately it is up to Kenyans to run violent-free elections,” said Whitman.