Bush skips Kenya in Africa tour as US backs peace talks

Sat, January 26, 2008
By KEVIN J KELLEY
Last updated: 58 minutes ago

President George W Bush will once again skip Kenya in his planned visit to Africa next month.

But this time around, the likely reason for the side-step is the raging violence triggered by results of last month’s presidential election.

The White House announced on Friday that the American leader will travel to Tanzania, Rwanda, Ghana, Liberia and Benin between February 15 and 21.

Prior to Kenya’s December 27 election, there had been hope that Mr Bush might become the first sitting US president to visit Kenya.

A successful round of voting and a peaceful aftermath might well have led the Bush administration to showcase Kenya as a beacon of African democracy.

Democratic reform

But the chaos convulsing the county instead destroyed any chance of Mr Bush stopping in Kenya on a tour intended, in part, to demonstrate US support for what the White House terms “continued democratic reform” in Africa.

Mr Bush also sidestepped Kenya during a five-nation tour of Africa in 2003 that included a stop in Uganda.

President Bill Clinton likewise paid a visit to Uganda but not to Kenya during a six-country visit in 1998. Three former US presidents have visited Kenya, beginning with Theodore Roosevelt nearly a century ago.

The United States meanwhile called for renewed peace efforts by President Kibaki and opposition leader Mr Raila Odinga.