2008 Speeches
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| Ambassador Michael Ranneberger and PM Raila Odinga welcome Mama Sarah Obama to the festivities. |
Remarks By Ambassador Michael E. Ranneberger
July 4, 2008
Leaders of the Coalition Government, Honorable Ministers, Colleagues, Guests, and Friends:
I want to extend a very warm welcome to all of you who have joined us to celebrate the 232nd anniversary of the independence of the United States of America. I also want to note that we are particularly honored to have with us a distinguished U.S. Congressional Delegation headed by Representative David Price of North Carolina. Here in Kenya, we are making this event a celebration of the vibrant, strong, and expanding partnership between our two countries. This is fitting because that partnership is based on the democratic values and friendship we share.
Those universal democratic values were immortally articulated by one of our founding fathers, Thomas Jefferson, in the Declaration of Independence: “We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.”
During the past 231 years Americans have consolidated institutions intended to ensure democratic government of, by, and for the people. In light of the profound crisis that gripped Kenya earlier this year, it is particularly relevant to recall that the progress the people of the United States have made over these many years has often been difficult, sometimes painfully slow, and occasionally bloody. Examining this history tells us with certainty that the process of building democracy is never easy and is never complete. To the extent we have been successful, we have benefited from the extraordinary achievement of our founding fathers, for they put in place a constitutional framework based on the principle of checks and balances. That system was based on a hard-headed assessment that, in order to protect the interests of all citizens, the power of any one institution, individual, or group must be limited. Indeed, the challenge to balance respect for the will of the majority with the necessity to protect the rights of minorities is a constant struggle in all democracies.
As we reflect upon this independence anniversary and the partnership we share, I am reminded of the Kenyan proverb: “Nia zikiwa moja kilicho mbali huja (no matter their differences, people working toward similar goals can achieve them). The Kenyan people deserve enormous credit for coming together to overcome the crisis that threatened to tear apart the fabric of their nation. They did this ultimately by drawing on their shared values and their shared goals to strengthen the country’s democracy, society, and economy. The coalition government is rightly based on shared interests.
I want to take this opportunity to congratulate the Kenyan people for never having deviated from the democratic path, and for, in effect, constituting a new model for the democracies of the developing world. On behalf of the United States, I also want to commend President Kibaki and Prime Minister Odinga for demonstrating patriotic leadership by making difficult compromises for the good of all Kenyans. The recent official visit of the Prime Minister to Washington highlighted my country’s support for the coalition government and our determination to help it deliver tangible results for the Kenyan people.
We recognize the commitment of the coalition government to deliver on its promise to carry out fundamental institutional reform in order to address the underlying grievances revealed by the crisis. We join the Kenyan people in looking forward to timely results with respect to constitutional reform, electoral reform, and land reform. We join the Kenyan people in wanting to see credible results from the various commissions formed as a result of the national political accord. Indeed, the future of our bilateral relationship is inextricably tied to the progress of democracy in Kenya.
Among the many things that we share, the United States and Kenya are both communities which encompass great diversity of cultures, ethnic and racial groups, and religions. The history of our two countries – ours going back centuries, Kenya’s only decades – shows that diversity enriches and strengthens our nations if we learn to value it. Though we Americans have had far more time to build our democracy than Kenya has, we can truly say that neither democratic system is perfect. In the U.S. – as in Kenya -- we struggle to fight corruption, to promote communal harmony, to foster security, and to bring about gender equity. Acutely aware of our own imperfections and limitations, we support the efforts of the Kenyan people to address these difficult challenges. But we need to follow the Swahili saying that “kila mlango na ufunguo wake” (every door has its own key) because it is up to Kenyans to solve their problems in their own ways. At the same time, we must be quick to remember that “kinyozi hajinyoi” (a barber does not shave himself). As a reliable friend, we will continue to assist your efforts and to support the positive momentum underway.
As a symbol of the rich partnership between the United States and Kenya, I invite you to witness, immediately following these remarks, the dedication of the new rose garden that is “dedicated to peace and to the U.S.-Kenyan partnership.”
Americans and Kenyans share a belief in the power of the collective spirit, profoundly illustrated by both countries’ journeys to independence. I am struck by three Swahili sayings that seem to capture, long before America was founded, a sense of our mutual faith in the will of the people. One says: Penye wengi pana Mungu (Where there are many people, there God is); our pledge of allegiance speaks of “one nation under God.” Another reads: “Umoja ni nguvu” (unity is strength); the inscription on our currency is “one from many.” Yet another reads: Panapo wengi hapaharibiki neno (where there are many, nothing goes wrong). Ladies and gentlemen, we are many gathered here, and we trust that this gathering and our future efforts together will be blessed.
Please join me in raising our glasses in a toast to the 232nd anniversary of the independence of the United States of America, to Kenya’s democratic progress, and to the partnership between the United States and Kenya.
Ahsanteni sana na Mungu awabariki.