NAIROBI, Kenya, Dec 1 – Prime Minister Raila Odinga said the government was happy with the damning expose by WikiLeaks as the information will reveal how Washington views Nairobi.
He confirmed to a hushed Parliament on Wednesday afternoon that Johnnie Carson, the US Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, called him on Monday to offer an apology, but he didn’t divulge any details.
"It is information which we were not entitled to, it was an internal communication but it has come out. We now know what some of our friends think about us….it is helpful,” he said.
Mr Odinga however said that the US envoy did not indicate the nature of the damaging leak.
"Mr Johnnie Carson said that some of this information may not be very pleasant because there is a way they communicate so he was calling to warn me,” he said.
WikiLeaks has said it planned to release 1,821 diplomatic cables about Kenya dating from 1996 through to February this year.
The PM made the statement in Parliament in response to questions from MPs.
Legislators Charles Kilonzo, William Kabogo and Bonny Khalwale led the onslaught as the House pushed the PM to make public the conversation he had with Mr Carson on Monday.
Mr Khalwale wanted to know whether the intended dossier would expose the names of the post election violence perpetrators, names of drug barons and corrupt ministers in the coalition government.
Mr Kabogo also sought a clarification on the matter saying the advance apology by the US government was suspicious.
"Under normal circumstances one does not apologies for something they do not understand, what is the American government apologising for?" he wondered.
The MPs indicated that the anticipated revelations have created anxiety in the country.
The PM also said that the government had officially raised its concerns to Washington over its activities with local youths.
Government spokesman Dr Alfred Mutua alleged on Tuesday that some foreign nations were funding clandestine youth movements in Kenya.
"This government cannot panic because some money is being given to some youth around the country, that money cannot empower our youth. What is Sh1.2 billion, we ourselves have put in Sh5 billion in the youth empowerment programmes. The World Bank is putting in US$61 million in the same programmes," he stressed.
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