In the run-up to the 2013 General Election, diplomatic relations between the US and Kenya were arguably at their lowest following remarks by a senior State Department official.

 Then Assistant Secretary of State Johnnie Carson said the US would not endorse any presidential candidate but what caused a diplomatic storm was his warning to Kenyans that “choices have consequences.” Presidential candidate Uhuru Kenyatta and his running mate William Ruto had both been indicted by the ICC. They were facing crimes against humanity in relation to violence in which over 1,000 people were killed and hundreds of thousands displaced.

 Supporters of Uhuru saw the ICC process as a Western ploy to clear the way for another presidential candidate, Raila Odinga. East Africa’s most powerful economy and a key regional ally in the US-led war against terrorism was on the verge of electing a president accused of crimes against humanity, posing a diplomatic headache to the West.

 Carson, however, declined to state the kind of “consequences” the election of two would have had on relations with the West. He nonetheless noted that the United States is not a signatory to the court, but does support what it stands for. See also: I'm a reformed smoker, says Obama In response, Kenya’s foreign ministry summoned EU envoys, worried that the remarks risked polarising the country. But diplomats declined to detail what actions their respective governments would take in the event Uhuru was elected.

The other factor which contributed to the slowing down of US-Kenya relations had to do with the issuance of travel advisories, which Kenyan officials have blamed for the decline of the tourism industry. When Uhuru won the March 4 polls, Kenya became the second country after Sudan to have a sitting president facing trial at the ICC.

 Carson had earlier stated the US had a policy of not engaging with President Bashir and other Sudanese who had been charged but not yet tried by the ICC. However, it was clear that Western countries would be reluctant to punish the Kenyan population through measures like suspending aid. In December last year, prosecutors at the ICC withdrew charges against President Kenyatta. The prosecutor’s office however said the Kenyan government had refused to hand over evidence vital to the case.

Source: Standard Digital