[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 123 (Thursday, July 20, 2017)]
[Senate]
[Page S4119]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




SENATE RESOLUTION 228--CALLING FOR A CREDIBLE, PEACEFUL, FREE, AND FAIR 
             PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION IN KENYA IN AUGUST 2017

  Mr. CARDIN (for himself, Mr. Coons, Mr. Booker, and Mr. Merkley) 
submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee 
on Foreign Relations:

                              S. Res. 228

       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 has general elections 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 in Kenya, effectively paralyzing the country and the 
     wider region for more than two months before the creation of 
     a power-sharing government;
       Whereas the people of Kenya 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 continued democratic progress in Kenya and 
     to ensuring the transparency in electoral preparations that 
     is vital for the success of the August 8, 2017, elections;
       Whereas, despite having a permissible 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 in Kenya, 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 in Kenya 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 Senate--
       (1) calls upon the Government of Kenya and opposition 
     parties in Kenya--
       (A) to hold credible, peaceful, free, and fair presidential 
     elections in August 2017 in order to advance democratic 
     consolidation in Kenya and promote stability in the broader 
     region; and
       (B) to 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 fully and 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 in Kenya 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 civil society organizations in Kenya 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 and the 
     United States Agency for International Development (USAID), 
     including the Bureau of Conflict and Stabilization 
     Operations, the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, 
     and the Bureau of African Affairs, to assist election-related 
     preparations in Kenya, including programs focused on conflict 
     mitigation;
       (8) strongly encourages the President to appoint an 
     Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs in order to 
     bolster diplomatic engagement with the Government of Kenya, 
     the opposition, and the donor community, which has 
     historically been critical during Kenya's elections; and
       (9) calls upon the United States Government and 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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