Meddling in Foreign Affairs

Sunday evening, June 13, a peaceful demonstration at Uhuru Park in downtown Nairobi was broken up by two explosions 15 minutes apart that left five dead and 75 wounded. The meeting was led by Christian ministers and politicians who oppose the new draft constitution because, among other things, it will legalize abortion. The assembly was mostly over, the politicians had left, but many were still around joining a prayer vigil and thousands were still in the park when the bombs went off.

Critics of the new draft constitution, called the "No Team," are many. Along with abortion they also object to the establishment of a Muslim court to handle all marriage and inheritance issues for Muslims. People see this as the first step toward a Muslim push for an autonomous zone similar to what they've done in Mindanao in the Philippines. The fear is that Muslims will claim Mombasa and much of the coastline as their inheritance and drive all land owners not of the Muslim faith out. This could set the stage for a civil war.

Another clause that may affect missionaries allows the government to reclaim all "lease-hold" land when their 99 year leases expire. Lease-hold land is rented on a 99 year lease which has to be renewed with the government at the end of the lease. Under the new constitution these 99 year leases will not be renewed. Renters of lease-hold land stand to lose everything. This would primarily affect whites, mostly British, whose forbears settled here in Kenya's infancy, developed the land, built homes, businesses and basically the entire infrastructure. In the long run it would also affect missionaries who have purchased land for churches and schools. It sounds a whole lot like what is going on in Zimbabwe right now.

Uhuru Kenyatta, son of the first president, Jomo Kenyatta, and a former member of an outlawed blood cult called the Mungiki, who is now the Minister of Finance, is campaigning vigorously for the passage of the constitution. He was quoted by the Daily Nation as saying on Saturday June 12, "It is true that there are some issues in the law, and which Kenyans have pointed out, but this should not deter us from getting a new constitution. The opponents are using these contentious clauses to woo Kenyans to vote against it while they can be amended later."

This movement for a new constitution has been going on for over a decade. When President Kibaki was elected in 2002, he ran on a platform promising a new constitution. His administration dilly-dallied, however, and nothing was done until his first term was almost over. Then in a last minute bid to restore people's confidence a new draft constitution was hurriedly put together and rushed to a vote. It was soundly defeated.

Now, three years later, another draft constitution has been submitted to be voted on August 4. Both the president and Prime Minister Raila Odinga support the new draft. However, it does not appear to have popular support among the people. Then this peaceful "NO" demonstration was violently ended by the bombing.

You almost can't help but think somebody in favor of the constitution is behind this, and that would probably mean somebody high up in the government. Odinga was quick to ask the NO team not to accuse the YES team, and in all fairness, Odinga is right. A panic rush to judgment before an investigation is carried out would probably lead to more violence. At a June 15 reception to honor Philippine Independence Day, Kenyan Minister for Tourism, Najib Mohamed Balala affirmed that this was a criminal act, not a political one, that tourists are not being targeted, and that the government is investigating the incident.

Kenyatta's appeal to amend the problems later sounded very similar to something we heard in the States a few months ago about health care. Last week Vice President Joe Biden (pronounced "Bee-den" by many Kenyans) was here promising big bucks if Kenya passes this new constitution. One has to wonder if he didn't tell Kenyatta what to say, but more importantly, what is America's interest in getting this new constitution passed anyway? You don't suppose the most pro-abortion president in US history is trying to influence the abortion movement here do you? What business is it of ours anyway, and for heaven's sake, where does Biden think we're going to get the money to give to Kenya? And what makes anybody think that a new constitution is going to change Kenya's status as one of the most corrupt governments in the world? The same corrupt people will be in it with a new constitution that are in it now.

With the failing economy, 10% unemployment, the Gulf oil spill, the illegal alien war on the Arizona border, the threat of war with North Korea, the Sestak bribe, and all the other problems he's got at home, Obama needs to be careful what diplomatic missions he gets involved with. He's been a total failure at foreign policy so far. Now my workers are telling me that Biden's visit and this bombing are going to do more to turn people against this constitution than anyone can imagine. Come August 4, we'll find out. If the new draft constitution goes down to defeat it will just be more evidence that Obama is out of his league in foreign diplomacy, and another stain on his already soiled administration.