THE EU has echoed President Uhuru’s sentiments that the Mpeketoni attacks were politically instigated. European Union Ambassador Briet Lodewijik said the charged political temperatures in the country might have been a finger pointer towards the spate of violence and criminal activities witnessed in parts of the country.
“Yes I agree with the President that the violence that occurred in Mpeketoni was a result of political inflammatory statements being fuelled by the opposition,” he said. The envoy was speaking during the morning Cheche talk show on Citizen TV yesterday.
Lodewijik said holding the country at hostage and declaring Saba Saba a holiday charges the minds of the public hence the spontaneous attacks in some parts of the country.
“Such statements are not helpful especially to a country that is fighting to restore its stability,” he said. Lodewijik defended the government saying it is not easy to protect every single community at a any given time.
He said all players need to reflect more broadly on the root cause of the matter and not engage in unwarranted politics. The EU ambassador asked envoys of various countries to speak together and negotiate instead of blaming the government, slapping travel advisories to their citizens and closing consulates.
The envoy however, dispelled the rumours that Cord leader Raila Odinga’s two-month study in the US could be a hidden secret towards orchestrating instability in Kenya.
“People are reading too much into Raila’s trip to the US,” he said. Lodewijik said Kenya has a huge potential, which will be held back by the political rhetoric.
Foreign Secretary Amina Mohamed asked the opposition to tone down their political temperatures and wait for the next general elections so that they can mount their campaigns. “Every democratic country has a period of elections. Let the incumbent be given time to work,” she said.
– the-star.co.ke
