US ambassador to Kenya Robert Godec is set to leave his position in Nairobi after being recalled by the State Department in what has been a tricky mission.
According to those in the know, the ambassador’s term was expected to expire two years ago but was extended considering the workload in the Nairobi mission as it was also handling Somalia and coordinating the great lakes region.
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Analysts blame the recall on the Jubilee and NASA feud over the elections which saw NASA leader Raila Odinga take his anti-Godec campaigns to one of the most powerful US intelligence and defence think-tanks, CSIS.
Raila blamed Godec and some European ambassadors of being complicit in election riggings in the country. Since Raila’s trips to the US, the European and US missions in the country have avoided commenting on the political situation, only giving security alerts to their citizens. This is unlike before when Kenyans used to hear from the missions almost twice a week.
At the gathering, Raila said
“Envoys have sometimes contributed to the problem. IEBC said it could not guarantee the credibility of polls but envoys in Nairobi said ‘proceed’.
”Kenya is heading towards being axed into dictatorship and your envoys have not succeeded in making things better.”
On Thursday morning during Thanksgiving Day celebration, Robert Godec delivered an emotional and thankful message to Kenyans and US Nairobi mission staff.
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“I am grateful for the many wonderful people and things and my life – especially my own family, starting with my extraordinary wife Lori. I am thankful, too, for the opportunity to have served as US Ambassador here for the past five years and all the wonderful people of Kenya I’ve met during my stay,” said Godec.
Robert Godec was one of the first envoys to congratulate President Uhuru after the August elections. He repeatedly supported the IEBC and called on NASA to accept the results despite claims that the election was not free, fair and credible.
Supreme Court eventually nullified the elections and ordered for fresh polls. On this too, Robert Godec loudly called on IEBC to proceed even when key staff members were being intimidated for saying that their operating environment was not going to guarantee a free, fair and credible process.
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The entanglement of the US envoy in local politics worked up the opposition coalition, NASA, leading to Raila refusing to pick calls from the ambassador several times and calling on him to leave the country.
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