Kenya’s Prime Minister’s visit to the United States

Kenya’s Prime Minister’s visit to the United States

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The Rt. Hon. Raila Odinga, Prime Minister of the Republic of Kenya will be on an official visit to the USA, from 10th - 17th april, 2011, and will meet with Kenyans in the diaspora in various states.
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http://www.diasporamessenger.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=1468
 
Coalition committed to improve lives, says Raila

By Chris Wamalwa in New York

Against the expectation of many, Prime Minister Raila Odinga steered clear of ICC politics when he met Kenyans living in the US.

Many people who spoke to The Standard in the US expected the PM to use the New York City meeting on Sunday afternoon to take on his critics, who used a rally back at home, on Monday, to haul more accusations at him.

Deputy Prime Minister Uhuru Kenyatta and Eldoret North MP William Ruto are among local leaders accusing the PM of being behind efforts to have them tried by the International Criminal Court at The Hague.

The PM's more than half-an-hour address to Kenyans living in New York and New Jersey concentrated on the achievements of the coalition Government between him and President Kibaki.

State challenges

He said despite the many challenges the country faced, the Government was committed to improve lives of its citizens.

"I am sure you are aware of the challenges that we face, but I assure you the Government is resolved on enacting the new Constitution to guarantee peace and prosperity," he said.

Thanking the Kenyan Diaspora for the role they played in ensuring the draft constitution was passed, Raila said the Government was committed to ensure the laws are implemented before the next General Election. He said key Bills on the reformation of the electoral process, Judiciary and the police were underway.

The premier said the Government was moving away from relying on donor funds to investment and that was the reason he was in the US to outline to American investors opportunities that exist in the country as outlined in Vision 2030.

"There is no dignity in begging. Kenyans are a proud people who want to use their talents to prosper," he said.

Raila said the Government was improving key sectors of development such as infrastructure, rural electrification and communication to boost development.

He said the country road network has become the envy of many countries in the region.

He caused laughter when he said: "I took (Congolese) President (Joseph) Kabila there (Thika Dual carriage) recently when he came to look for his gold and he was surprised, the fate of his gold notwithstanding!"

Trade Minister Amos Kimunya said the Government was committed to ensuring the Diaspora has the necessary information required to invest in the country.

Support for new laws

Minister Magerer Langat thanked the Diaspora for the persuasive role they played in explaining to their relatives and friends back home on the need to vote ‘Yes' during the referendum in August last year.

"Many of you used your resources in buying space in the media to support the Constitution. We are indeed grateful for that role," he added.

Yesterday, the PM addressed an Institutional Investor's Africa Investment Conference in New York whose theme is ‘The Gateway to Opportunity.'

Investment opportunities

"The conference is aimed at exchanging information among senior decision-makers from Africa's governmental and leading corporations with the US institutional investors who are interested in learning more about investment opportunities in Africa", said Elkanah Odembo, Kenyan Ambassador to the US.

Later in the afternoon, the PM was scheduled to hold talks with former US President Bill Clinton in New York before paying a courtesy call to the UN Secretary-General Ban-Ki-Moon at the UN headquarters. Raila is also scheduled to hold talks with US Vice President Joe Biden today in Washington, DC.

http://www.standardmedia.co.ke/InsidePag.... 20says%20Raila


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Raila meets Bill Clinton in NY
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NEW YORK, Apr 12 - Former US President Bill Clinton has pledged more support for initiatives meant to protect the environment in Kenya.

Mr Clinton particularly promised support for programmes that would reduce pressure on forests and protect water towers and water bodies.

During a meeting with Prime Minister Raila Odinga at the Clinton Foundation offices in New York, the former President promised to help set up an operation that would provide stoves that use fuels other than charcoal in Kenya and distribute them in villages where wood remains the main source of fuel.

Mr Odinga briefed the former US President on progress on the restoration of the Mau Forest Complex and the new drive to restore Lake Naivasha.

The Clinton Foundation has provided support to the Mau restoration effort. The former President said conserving the environment, particularly having people to stop destroying forests is a sensitive matter that requires courageous leadership.

Mr Clinton thanked Mr Odinga for showing enthusiasm towards saving the environment saying it is a service to the entire globe.

He said he would be willing to support Kenya’s conservation efforts through programmes that would make people stop destroying forests without losing their source of livelihood.

The former President said the stoves that use fuels other than charcoal would provide charcoal burners with alternative sources of income when they stop destroying forests.

He said he would also be willing to help Kenya explore possibilities of turning its turns of garbage into fuel and thus reduce pressure on forests.

“I will be happy to help with either of these initiatives in Kenya. Anything that can win people from destroying forests and charcoal burning in particular is worth trying. I am willing to provide start up money for these initiatives,” the former President said.

He said that in some countries where the use of the stoves has been promoted, cutting of forests has reduced by up to 75 per cent.

Mr Clinton said he would partner with the government in saving Lake Naivasha.

The PM said Lake Naivasha is unique as the only one in the Great Rift Valley system that has fresh water. The two leaders also discussed the progress in Free Primary Education and the state of the Kenyan economy.

Mr Odinga leaves New York on Tuesday for Washington, DC, where he is set to meet US Vice President Joe Biden, among other US Government officials.

Capital FM Kenya: Raila meets Bill Clinton in NY

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WASHINGTON - Vice President Joe Biden met at the White House with Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga on Tuesday for talks on change in Kenya, Sudan and Somalia.

Biden "lauded historic steps taken by the Kenyan people to bring change to their country in the wake of the 2007-2008 post-election violence, most notably the passage of a new constitution," the White House said in a statement.

"In light of Kenya's critical role in advancing regional stability, the two leaders consulted on our ongoing cooperation to address security and humanitarian challenges in Somalia," the statement said.

Biden and Odinga "also discussed the need to reinvigorate efforts on Sudan, particularly on Abyei and Darfur, to secure a lasting peace," the White House said.

Daily Nation: - News |Biden meets Kenya PM


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ha ha haa,naona mjomba wake obama kamuepa tena kiaina maana.
 
raila is statesman. he could easily have engaged in petty icc politics but he restraint from it. this is the kind of leadership that lacks in the KKK camp. they talk too much but no actions but not to worry, the hague will straighten they a$$
 
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Prime Minister Raila Odinga in discussion with US Vice President Joe Biden at White House in Washington DC.



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Nyani Ngabu said:
What are you hoping or expecting to come out of it?
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So you have come out of retirement huh...I am hoping that RAO has good plans for 2012, the reason for his visit. I'm expecting him have a winnig startegy.
 
Nyaralego said:
So you have come out of retirement huh...I am hoping that RAO has good plans for 2012, the reason for his visit. I'm expecting him have a winnig startegy.
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You guys have a general election next year too?
 
Nyani Ngabu said:
You guys have a general election next year too?
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Yes, NN all this noise in the media about Ocampo 6 na demonizing RAO is all because of the general election(fever). They have started fighting albeit in the meida and this is laying the ground work for rigging and cleansing. Those old guards just need to be voted out.

My fear is that it will get ugly and I will not be surprised if we see another 07-08 type PEV...

That is the reason why I want to hear what RAO has to say and I'm hoping it's not the same old story.
 
I admirer mr odinga.. He is a modern true leader.. Quite and hard working man..

When he becomes the president kenya will be a different nation

for those ocampo 6.. I think the don't deserve to be even leaders of the community let alone country.
 
Raila signs academic pact in US






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File | Nation Prime Minister Raila Odinga, right, and Dr James Ammon exchange documents in Florida after signing an agreement between Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University and Ramogi Institute of Advanced Technology.


Posted Saturday, April 16 2011 at 18:11
In Summary
  • "We believe that through this agreement, Ramogi Institute of Advanced Technology will become a stronger institution."
    Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University president, Dr James Ammon


Prime Minister Raila Odinga has signed an agreement between the Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (Famu) and the Ramogi Institute of Advanced Technology (Riat) that will create room for collaboration in various areas between the two institutions and allow exchange programmes for students and academic staff.

The agreement includes collaboration between the two institutions in curricula development and training in engineering, pharmacy, nursing and allied health sciences; environmental science and research collaboration; joint grant writing; and funding for facilities development.

Engagement

"The agreement will also see the US institution expand its engagement with other Kenyan institutions of higher learning," said a statement from Mr Odinga's office.

The agreement seeks to develop a process for implementing engineering and health sciences training systems at Riat.

Speaking at a ceremony at the university's campuses in Tallahassee, the PM called for greater collaboration between institutions of higher learning in Kenya and those in the United States.

He said the government is particularly keen on a collaboration that will strengthen the teaching of and performance in science, technology, engineering and math courses, saying that performance in these subjects has been wanting.

"An erratic or average performance in these areas in our schools is unacceptable to us because it poses a threat to our development targets," Mr Odinga said.

Famu's president, Dr James Ammons, said that the institution intends to create "a global model for collaboration, beginning with Riat."

"We are looking forward to exposing our faculty and students to your beautiful country. We believe that through this agreement, Ramogi Institute of Advanced Technology will become a stronger institution and help Famu as we strive for excellence in a new era," Dr Ammons added.

Riat, located in Kisumu, was founded in 1968 and is one of Kenya's pioneer technical training institutes. Famu was established in 1890 in the US and caters mainly for African American students. (Xinhua)
 
Ningefurahi sana kumsikia Jey Key akisema naye kuwa "there is no dignity in begging. Tanzanians are very proud people" lkn naona mwenzetu, achievement zake zinapimwa in amount ya safari za kubeg, na nini kapata alikoenda! I real wish l was not Tanzanian!
 
Nyaralego said:
Lets see what comes out of this visit. tume subiri hapa LA
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California State University in LA: PRIME MINISTER RAILA MEETS OVER 400 KENYANS IN US


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Prime Minister Raila Odinga today called on Kenyans to re-invent the self-confidence and big dreams that characterized the earlier years of independence if the country is to remain competitive. At a meeting with over 400 Kenyans in the US West Coast states held at the California State University in Los Angeles, Mr Odinga said something went wrong with the country from the late 1960s, and Kenyans lost faith in their ability to chart their destiny.

Speakers at the function, including Kenya's best known writer Prof Ngugi wa Thiongo, singled out bad governance, the culture of betrayal and tribalism as the ills that killed the country's ambitious dreams.

Mr Odinga said that about three years after independence, the Government declared that Kenya would attain a developed country status by 1990, and the goal looked attainable.He recalled that after the Olympic games of 1968, the government declared that Kenya would bid to host the 1980 Olympics, and there was agreement that the country was equal to the task.

"Six years ago, when our minister for sports announced that Kenya would bid to host the 2016 Olympics, the overall feeling was that we were joking. That was a far cry from the feeling in 1968 when we agreed we could host the games or 1964 when we believed we could attain Developed Country Status by 1990. Forty years in to independence, the self-confidence of the people is gone," Mr Odinga said.

The PM said that whereas in the 1960s, the victory over the mighty British empire by ill-equipped Mau filled Kenyans with a conquering spirit, the dictatorship and suppression that followed killed initiative and the confidence of the people.

"The conquering spirit that brought down the British was still burning in Kenyans in the 1960s. That spirit died between 1968 and 2000. Repression made Kenyans submissive and hopeless, then we split along tribal lines and things changed for the worse," the PM said.

Mr Odinga said Kenya is once again caught in a struggle pitting the forces for change against those of the status quo, adding that this has been the struggle in Kenya over the years. But he expressed confidence that this time round, the forces of change will take over power in Kenya.

"People can gang up along tribal lines but in the end, it never counts. I have seen this tribal arithmetic before, and it never works. In 2002 when I declared support for President Kibaki, some said Raila is finished. They began writing my political obituary because they reasoned that the Luo would never vote for a Kikuyu. I have seen all this posturing before," he said.


Prof Ngugi decried the culture of betrayal, amnesia and emerging tribalism, saying they have killed the fighting spirit of the people of Kenya. Ngugi said the culture of betrayal ensured the Mau Mau was forgotten as soon as independence was won. It also ensured the likes of Tom Mboya and JM Kariuki were forgotten as soon as they were assassinated. Events that shaped Kenya, both old and recent, were quickly forgotten, he said.

"When the British left, we began to behave as if independence had been given on a silver platter. We forgot the fighters. In 1992, violence gripped Kenya because some people had asked for multiparty politics. That too was forgotten and it happened again 1997 and 2002 and we kept forgetting until it happened again in 2007, he said.

At the function, Ngugi presented Mr Odinga with a photo taken in 1964 in which Kenya's first Vice president Jaramogi Oginga Odinga had paid Mr Ngugi a visit at his home on being released from detention.Ngugi said leaders should be held culpable when they fail to protect the sanctity of the lives of citizens. He condemned the tribal talk taking root in the country's politics saying ability to mobilize tribesmen is not a mark of leadership.

"No leader should talk as if he is at war with another community. No leaders should talk as if it is some kind of a crime to belong to certain tribes," Ngugi said.

The PM's meeting with Diaspora drawn from the West Coast states was his last function in the US. On Monday, Mr Odinga leaves for France where he is to launch a partnership between the French government and Kenya on clean energy.


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With Florida Governor Rick Scott


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Being welcomed by Governor Duval Patrick in Boston,Massachusettes


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[FONT=arial, helvetica][FONT=verdana,arial]April 18, 2011[/FONT]

Raila Odinga, Prime Minister of Kenya, speaks in Tallahassee
[FONT=Times New Roman, serif]Renee Jacques[/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman, serif]Contributing Writer[/FONT]
The Honorable Raila Odinga, Prime Minister of Kenya, visited Tallahassee on Thursday, April 14 as part of an official visit through the United States to promote business relations and collaboration with the U.S. and to meet with Kenyans in the Diaspora among the different states. Odinga greeted fellow Kenyans and Africans at a reception hosted by the Kenyan and African Community of Tallahassee at the Holiday Inn Hotel and Suites at 7 p.m.
Odinga has served as Prime Minister of Kenya since 2008, after a violently debated presidential election, where he was the disputed winner. Since serving as prime minister, Odinga has focused on restructuring the economic and political configuration of Kenya and was recently appointed by the African Union as a mediator for the Ivory Coast presidential turmoil.
The event began with different members of African organizations, such as the Kenya-America Society of Tallahassee and the Tallahassee East African Community and Friends, introducing and expressing their gratitude to the prime minister.

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One notable organization that helped bring the reception to the Tallahassee community is The Tallahassee African Coalition. The Tallahassee African Coalition is an organization aimed at creating a lasting connection between members of the African community in Tallahassee and Africa.
Dr. Claudius Mondoma, an FSU professor and the Chair for the Africa Focus Speaker Series for the Tallahassee African Coalition said that it is important that Africans get detailed news about their home countries from experts, such as Odinga, who actually experience the events firsthand in their countries.
"It is good for us to provide a platform here where we can actually bring the experts in to talk about topics that we feel are sometimes not covered in depth," Mondoma said. "We can get a good analysis of what exactly is going on beyond the news snippets that we get. I think that it adds to the greater dialogue in Tallahassee."
Barack Abonyo, a professor at Florida A&M University, then addressed Prime Minister Odinga and expressed his appreciation for Odinga's participation in the signing of a memorandum of understanding that day. The memorandum launches a partnership between FAMU and the Ramogi Institute of Advanced Technology (RIAT) in Kenya. The agreement focuses on creating a curriculum where students from both universities can interact and research together. Because Kenya cannot currently successfully educate its population, this collaboration is extremely important in benefiting the Kenyan society.
"What we are trying to do today is not for you," Abonyo said at the reception. "The reason why it's not for is because you have achieved something. There are a lot of people this occasion is for: the people we left at home. The people who do not have money to pay for their education and yet they are very smart people."
Dr. Benjamin Mwashote said he also hopes that another collaboration will take place between his research project and Odinga. Mwashote is an environmental chemist with a PhD in Oceanography from FSU. He is working on preparing a research project with fellow chemist, Bill Landing, to study the effects of groundwater discharge in the Great Lakes in Kenya. This research project would form a partnership with Kenyan university, Pwani University College. He presented a report with his project proposition to Odinga at the reception.
"I realized that we don't have much capacity for funding for such projects in Kenya and the only funding we can rely on is when we have collaboration with other partners," Mwashote said. "While I am working here, I am going to try my best to try and work together with the smaller institutions in Kenya and here."
At the reception, Odinga and his delegates addressed the audience by informing them about the progress of Kenya as a country. They reassured the audience that Kenya was getting better, and, because of the work of the prime minister, Kenya is transforming into a different and improved country.
"Tell your brothers that Kenya is a different country," Elkanah Odembo, the Kenyan ambassador said to the audience."
Odembo also said that the country's new constitution would allow for Kenyans in the Diaspora to obtain dual-citizenship in Kenya, which would allow for them to vote in the next presidential election.
"There will be no elections in Kenya without the participation and the help of the Diaspora," Odembo said. "I want to believe that in the year 2012, you will be voting to determine the next president."
Once Prime Minister Odinga took the podium, the crowd was already optimistic about the future of Kenya. Odinga offered more words of encouragement when he said he thought that the signing of the memorandum was "the beginning of bigger things."
Referring to the violent presidential election in 2008, where 1,500 people were killed and another 500,000 people were displaced, Odinga said he remains optimistic.
"I really want to give you assurance that we are making a lot of progress."
Odinga also expressed his hopes for the future.
"Three and a half years ago, our country was in a state of turmoil," Odinga said. "We went to the precipice, looked down at this, and said we do not like what we see. So we took a step back, and decided that we are better off working together as one people."
He expressed praise for Kenya's new constitution and claimed that it "has been hailed as one of the best."
The new constitution created provinces, and called for a reformation of the judicial system and the police force, among other changes. Odinga said he was very proud of an addition to the constitution that required one-third of the members of parliament to be women, as this will allow for every county to have at least one woman in parliament.
Addressing concerns about Kenya's economic status, Odinga assured the crowd that Kenya is "promoting business and outsourcing." He gave details of Kenya's "Vision 2030," the country's development blueprint that hopes to transform Kenya into a profitable nation. Odinga stated that the country is building roads and cities, creating more employment for the youth, and is working on being fully green by the year 2017.
Odinga ended his speech with optimistic parting words.
"There is light now at the end of the tunnel: the new democratic order," Odinga said. "Africa is going to reclaim its place in the society of nations, where Africa rightly belongs. We are ready to make the 21st century truly the African century."
The event concluded with a short question panel where Kenyans were able to ask the prime minister personal questions about Kenya's recovery. He gave hopeful answers to questions relating to land appropriation and improving Kenya's branding.
Tallahassee marks the third place on Odinga's five-stop visit to the United States. The prime minister has already visited New York City, where he hosted an open-investment event and engaged with the New York Times and CNN. He then traveled to Washington D.C. to meet with Vice President Joe Biden and to address the Kenyan Diaspora. He continued by visiting MIT and Harvard on Friday, then finalizing the visit on Sunday to Los Angeles for more talks with U.S. business leaders. (FSU Flambeau)
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