The United Stated government led by President Donald Trump may not respond to Kenya’s needs should there be election violence after August 8 polls.
This came to the fore on Wednesday in Washington during a think-tank panel discussion with analysts, Business Daily reports.
The discussion took place at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies-a research institute based in Washington.
Former U.S Ambassador to Kenya, Mark Bellamy cited that though they are trying by every means to prevent post-election violence reminiscent with 2007/2008, they find themselves at odds because they cannot sanctify a rigged election.
“[We are not] willing to do that at the expense of sanctifying what could be a seriously fraudulent election,” Bellamy noted.
Warning that diplomatic intervention in 2008 was unlikely to occur in 2017, he urged Kenyan politicians to strive and ensure that peace prevails during the polls.
“There is no Calvary riding to rescue, no Kofi Annan,” he warned.
In 2008, several high ranking U.S officials led by the then Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice came to Kenya to soften the leaders and urge them to stop the violence.
Also, the then UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan visited the country for mediation and brokered a deal that saw a coalition government formed between retired President Mwai Kibaki and former Prime Minister Raila Odinga.
A researcher for the U.S Congress Lauren Ploch Blanchard told the panel that international community is will not act effectively as they did in ending the chaos in 2008.
However, Blanchard noted that U.S Ambassador to Kenya Robert Godec is working “tirelessly” in ensuring that Kenya holds free, fair, credible and peaceful elections.
Kenyan Journalist James Smart was also part of the panel.