[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 449 Introduced in House (IH)]

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115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 449

Urging the Government of Kenya and Kenya's political parties to respect 
  democratic principles and hold credible, peaceful, and transparent 
                       elections in August 2017.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 14, 2017

    Mr. Engel (for himself, Mr. Smith of New Jersey, and Ms. Bass) 
submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee 
                           on Foreign Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
Urging the Government of Kenya and Kenya's political parties to respect 
  democratic principles and hold credible, peaceful, and transparent 
                       elections in August 2017.

Whereas the United States has deep interests in Kenya's democratic stability and 
        regional leadership, and a free and fair election in Kenya holds 
        regional significance as an example for other African countries with 
        elections scheduled in the near future;
Whereas Kenya's general elections are scheduled for August 8, 2017;
Whereas electoral violence in 2007 and 2008 resulted in the deaths of at least 
        1,300 people and the displacement of 600,000, effectively paralyzing the 
        country and the wider region for more than two months before the 
        creation of a power-sharing government;
Whereas Kenyans adopted a new Constitution in 2010 that sought to devolve power 
        to 47 counties and their elected governors and local representatives;
Whereas the public confidence in the electoral process is critical both to 
        Kenya's continued democratic progress and to ensuring transparency in 
        electoral preparations, and is vital for the success of the August 8 
        elections;
Whereas despite having a permissive legal environment, the Government of Kenya 
        has taken actions to limit democratic space for civil society and media 
        organizations, which could adversely affect their contributions to a 
        credible, peaceful election and broader democratic consolidation;
Whereas there have been deeply concerning instances of hate speech by all sides, 
        inciting supporters to ethnic violence as a means by which to gain 
        electoral advantage, intimidate electoral rivals, or suppress voter 
        turnout; and
Whereas the political parties, monitoring groups, and the media have the legal 
        authority to record polling station results and tallies at the 
        constituency and national levels in order to ensure that the process is 
        perceived as honest and transparent: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) calls upon Kenya to--
                    (A) hold credible, peaceful, free, and fair 
                Presidential elections in August 2017 in order to 
                advance Kenya's democratic consolidation and promote 
                stability in the broader region; and
                    (B) condemn in the strongest terms the use of hate 
                speech and the incitement of violence by political 
                candidates, the media, or any Kenyan citizens;
            (2) calls upon Kenyan citizens to peacefully participate in 
        the general elections and seek to resolve any disputes over 
        results through the legal system;
            (3) calls upon Kenyan political candidates at the national, 
        county, and local levels to respect the Electoral Code of 
        Conduct and the Political Party Code of Conduct;
            (4) encourages political parties, civil society, and the 
        media to act responsibly with their parallel vote tabulations 
        so as not to usurp the role of the electoral commission as the 
        official source for declaring official election results;
            (5) encourages Kenyan civil society organizations to 
        continue providing critical early warning and response measures 
        to mitigate election-related violence and further strengthen 
        democratic processes;
            (6) commends the key role the faith-based community has 
        played in ensuring a peaceful pre- and post-election 
        environment through periodically convening the Multi-Sectoral 
        Forum to deliberate on matters of governance, election 
        management, and looming insecurity;
            (7) supports efforts by the Department of State, including 
        the Bureau of Conflict and Stabilization Operations, the Bureau 
        of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, and the Bureau of 
        African Affairs, and the United States Agency for International 
        Development (USAID) to assist election-related preparations in 
        Kenya, including programs focused on conflict mitigation;
            (8) strongly encourages the Administration to appoint an 
        Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs in order to 
        bolster diplomatic engagement across the African continent, 
        including with the Government of Kenya, Kenya's political 
        parties, and the donor community, which has historically been 
        critical during Kenya's elections; and
            (9) calls upon the United States and Kenya's other 
        international partners, especially election-focused 
        nongovernmental organizations, to continue to support Kenya's 
        efforts to address the remaining electoral preparation 
        challenges and identify gaps in which additional resources or 
        diplomatic engagement could make important contributions to the 
        conduct of the elections.
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