US envoy: Kenyan attorney general banned from US

Nov 2, 2009, 15:20 GMT

Nairobi - The US ambassador to Kenya, Michael Ranneberger, has confirmed media reports that Attorney General Amos Wako is the Kenyan government official handed a US visa ban last month.

Johnnie Carson, US Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, last month announced a high profile Kenyan official had been banned for obstructing justice and failing to tackle rampant corruption in the East African nation.

The announcement prompted intense speculation in Kenya, which Ranneberger ended on Sunday by directing people following his Twitter page to a headline in the local press that named Amos Wako.

'Still wondering which senior Kenyan official has been banned from the US for obstructing reforms? The answer is:' Ranneberger wrote, followed by the link.

The US is ramping up the pressure on Kenya's leaders for failing to bring to justice those accused of the violence that followed 2007's disputed presidential elections.

Estimates say upward of 1,300 people died in the violence, but Kenya has failed to set up a local tribunal to try suspects, as recommended by an independent commission.

Two commissions recommended a raft of changes in areas such as organization of the police department, the judiciary and land policy - considered crucial to avoid a repeat of the violence in 2012. But the reform process has been moving at a snail's pace.

The International Criminal Court in The Hague is in possession of an envelope containing the names of politicians and businessmen accused of orchestrating the violence.

ICC Prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo is due to arrive in Nairobi later this week amidst growing speculation the court could be set to act.

Corruption is also rife in East Africa's largest economy, but no high-ranking officials have been brought to book despite several massive scams to steal public money in recent years.