London, Jan 2 (DPA) Britain’s Foreign Secretary David Miliband Wednesday said that the level of irregularities on “both sides” in the recent presidential elections in Kenya is “unacceptable”.
“It is clear that there are major responsibilities on Kenya’s political leaders both in respect of the violence being perpetrated by some of their followers and in respect of the need to reach out and find common ground,” Miliband said in a BBC interview.
Miliband stressed that it was not clear who won last month’s election, and said it appeared that there were irregularities on both the government and opposition sides.
“We don’t know who won. What we know is that there are very serious allegations of irregularities – on both sides, it has to be said.”
“Political leaders in Kenya should realise that there was nothing to be gained by either of them in pretending that this is cut and dried,” he said.
“I don’t think that there is any question of anyone accepting a status quo which involves this level of election irregularities or this level of violence,” said Miliband.
On the question of possible sanctions, Miliband pointed out that 80 per cent of Britain’s annual aid of $340 million (170 million pounds) to Kenya went direct to ordinary people, rather than to the government in Nairobi.
“In the end, the people who benefit from trade with Britain and the European Union are the workers of Kenya,” he said.