Ed Royce: “Mr. Speaker, when the gentleman from Florida [Mr. Hastings] introduced this resolution last July, I felt it was timely…”

“Mr. Speaker, when the gentleman from Florida [Mr. Hastings] introduced this resolution last July, I felt it was timely and much needed, given the violence that prodemocracy demonstrators experienced at the hands of the Kenyan police. Since that time, after the Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific held a hearing, the gentleman from Florida [Mr. Hastings] updated this resolution so that it is relevant for the situation existing today. This includes the recent announcement that elections will be held in Kenya on December 28. Despite the recent actions by the Kenyan Parliament to put in place legal reforms to the electoral process, there are serious doubts about the Government's willingness to honor its commitments. Last July, President Moi promised to allow opposition political party meetings without permits. Since then, even opposition events with permits have been disrupted. This reform is supposed to allow for political parties to be registered, but the Safina Party still has not been registered nearly 2 years after applying for approval. In short, the Kenyan Government has shown little commitment to follow through on its promises to implement democratic reforms. This is why this resolution is so important. The U.S. Government must be on record as strongly encouraging genuine reform. We also must firmly oppose the violence threatened in advance of the December elections.”