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Tillerson arrives in Abuja Monday
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he is also expected to discuss how to advance peace and security promote good governance and spur mutually beneficial trade and investment with the president2 i know kenya takes these matters seriously. a free and independent media is essential for safeguarding democracy and giving all kenyans confidence in their government2 he said they had shown a commitment to working for all kenyans regardless of party to take the long journey that is necessary to restore the country eliminate these divisions that are creating obstacles to kenyas future1 the secretary is expected to hold a press conference at the presidential villa on tuesday by 11.45 a.m1 tillerson is expected to be joined in the press availability by minister of foreign affairs geoffrey onyeama the embassy stated1 tillerson has been on a week-long tour of africa1 he has visited the horn of africa just days after he announced a new 533 million package for africa out of which 128 million was earmarked for nigeria and countries of the lake chad region1 tillerson and buhari are expected to discuss counter terrorism efforts and humanitarian issues in nigerias northeast and the lake chad basin1 the u.s. secretary of state mr. rex tillerson will arrive in abuja on monday in continuation of his visit to some african countries1 he would also meet with u.s. embassy personnel and participate in events related to u.s. government-supported activities1 during his visit to kenyan tillerson said on friday in nairobi he had shared his concerns with kenyas president uhuru kenyatta about the importance of democracy1 tillerson said at a news conference that his concerns were that government should not stifle the media and threaten the courts1 we believe that there are actions that need to be taken in kenya and that they need to correct certain actions like shutting down independent tv stations and threatening the independence of the courts he said1 when he arrives tillerson will become the highest ranking official in the trump administration to visit nigeria1 tillerson called kenya a leading democracy in africa praising president kenyatta and opposition leader raila odinga for meeting on friday and pledging to bring their people together after 2017 contentious and bloody elections1 the u.s. embassy in abuja said on sunday that tillerson would hold talks with president muhammadu buhari on tuesday1 tillerson said all the credit for the meeting went to the kenyan political leaders in response to a question as to whether the u.s. had a role in organising it1 both kenyatta and odinga had said in a joint statement that they agreed to establish a new office staffed by advisers1 they are to tackle the divisions ranging from opposition complaints over the election to tensions between ethnic groups and corruption1 we have a responsibility as leaders to find solutions. elections come and go but kenya remains kenyatta said1 kenyatta was sworn in for a second term in november after an extended election season which saw the supreme court nullifying an august presidential poll1 the apex court went on to order a re-run in october which odinga boycotted1 around 100 people died mainly in clashes between the security forces and opposition supporters during months of acrimonious campaigning and protests1 the election season blunted growth in kenya east africas richest economy and a western ally in a volatile region1 in january odinga took a symbolic presidential oath in a nairobi park in a direct challenge to kenyatta1 before fridays meeting the two men had defied calls from kenyan civil society religious leaders and western diplomats to hold talks to overcome deep divisions opened up by the disputed elections1 odinga said the opposition had decided to change tactics for the sake of the countrys unity1 we refuse to allow our diversity to kill our nation he said1 u.s. secretary of state rex tillerson arrived in the kenyan capital later on friday as part of a seven-day visit to africa1 the move was in the face of u. s. attempt to bolster security alliances on a continent increasingly turning to china for trade. nan1 -
Tillerson US Secretary of State ill in Kenya
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i know kenya takes these matters seriously. a free and independent media is essential for safeguarding democracy and giving all kenyans confidence in their government2 the kenyan government shut down three television channels in january on the day opposition leader raila odinga took a symbolic presidential oath then defied a court order to switch them back on. the stations had planned to live-stream the oath1 the announcement comes little more than 24 hours after us president donald trump stunned the world by accepting an invitation to meet north koreas kim jong un before the end of may1 the audacious diplomatic gambit which was taken before consulting key confidantes including tillerson who was in the ethiopian capital addis ababa at the time left aides scrambling to catch up1 just hours before the summit announcement which emerged late on thursday tillerson had said washington was a long way from talking directly to north korea as he kicked off his five-nation africa tour1 the us diplomat who arrived in nairobi on friday had been due to visit the aids-relief programme pepfar on saturday and also attend a ceremony marking 20 years since al-qaeda bombed the us embassies in kenya and tanzania killing 224 people1 plans to lay a wreath at the site could be rescheduled goldstein said1 tillerson is due to travel to chad on monday then on to nigeria a day later1 tillerson arrived kenya on friday after visiting ethiopia and djibouti1 after talks with president uhuru kenyatta on friday he told newsmen he had shared his concerns with kenyatta about the importance of democracy and said the government should not stifle the media and threaten the courts1 the secretary is not feeling well after a long couple days working on major issues back home such as north korea and has canceled his events for the day spokesman steve goldstein said1 we believe that there are actions that need to be taken in kenya and that they need to correct certain actions like shutting down independent tv stations and threatening the independence of the courts tillerson told a news conference in the kenyan capital1 u.s. secretary of state rex tillerson cancelled scheduled events on saturday on the second day of a visit to kenya because he is not feeling well a state department spokesman said1 asked at the news conference with tillerson if kenya could call itself a democracy in light of restrictions appeared intended to stifle dissent kenyas foreign affairs minister monica juma said that the notion that there is a restriction of the media is not backed by fact or reality1 she said that only three of more than 10s of tv stations were temporarily shut down. the three stations taken off air reach the majority of viewers in the country1 in september after kenyas supreme court overturned president uhuru kenyattas election victory and ordered a new poll kenyatta dismissed the judges as wakora meaning crooks in swahili. he also said the country had a problem with its judiciary that needed to be fixed1 tillerson the top u.s. diplomat praised kenyatta and opposition leader odinga for meeting on friday and pledging to bring their people together after last years contentious and bloody elections1 all the credit for the meeting went to the kenyan political leaders tillerson said in response to a question as to whether the u.s. had a role in organizing it1 as expected tillerson also emphasized the u.s. security partnership with kenya and what he called our shared fight against terrorism. he said he would pay his respects on saturday in nairobi to victims of the 1998 bombings of the u.s. embassies in kenya and tanzania. the bombings killed 224 people1 he also recognized the 4000 kenyan troops fighting al-shabaab in somalia as part of the african union peacekeeping mission amisom1