FOTO: Ministry of Environment and Development.By Otieno
The Norwegian Environment and Development minister, Erik Solheim, met Kenyas Prime Minister, Raila Odinga, in Nairobi, Thursday 19. February. The topic of the meeting was the country's widespread corruption and the current food crisis. Odinga presented a pile of papers documenting the extent of corruption challenges in the country. Solheim is reported to have urged for immediate and long term reforms before the country can expect help from the international community. The PM is reported to have stated that there was little he could do to stop corruption since "I am bound hand and feet". However, Solheim is reported to blame lack of tangible reforms due to the President's reluctance, a Parliament with major problems, a judicial system where the judge can be bought and a corruption unit that is working poorly.
Complicated challenges
Kenya is still facing several challenges noting how the country survived the 2007 post election violence.
On the basis of an agreement negotiated by former UN Secretary General, Kofi Annan, Odinga and Kibaki agreed to share power in a coalition government. Looking back at the state the country was in the early months of 2008, it was a great relief that the two leaders found a working solution to bring the country back to normalcy. That said, Kenya has several basic and demanding problems that need an immediate action. Solheim characterized the situation in the country as "a sleeping crisis" and the current food crisis confirms some of the complicated challenges in Kenya.
Speaking at the UNEP conference, Solheim said there is no doubt that the planet is able to produce enough food. He believes the political problems in Kenya and the rest of Africa are closely linked to food problems.
Visit http://www.unep.org/ and http://www.grida.no/ for the entire UNEP report titled "The environmental food crisis: environment's role in averting future food crises."
@KiN Newsroom
