Jack Wall (Kildare South, Labour)
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Question 76: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs the measures that the international community should now be taking to head off any prospect of ethnic violence in advance of the elections in Kenya in 2012 in view of the increasing reports of large stocks of armaments being assembled by competing groups in Kenya. [13353/10]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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I share the Deputy's concern that everything possible must be done to avoid a repeat of the ethnic violence that erupted after the 2007 elections in Kenya, in which it was estimated that over 1,500 people were killed and as many as 600,000 were displaced.

Following mediation talks led by the former UN Secretary General, Kofi Annan, an agreement designed to bring an end to the conflict was negotiated between the Kenyan government and opposition in February 2008. Under the terms of the agreement, a new power-sharing government was established which committed itself to implementing a programme of reforms intended to address the underlying causes of the post election violence. The reform agenda as set out in the National Accord includes a comprehensive constitutional review; electoral, police and judicial reforms; as well as a commitment to adopt measures to end the impunity of perpetrators of the post-election violence and to fight corruption.

Regrettably, the progress achieved since the formation of the power-sharing government has not lived up to expectations, in particular in the areas of judicial reform and the fight against impunity. On foot of the failure of the government to set up a special tribunal to deal with those accused of post-election violence, the International Criminal Court is considering whether to authorise investigations by the Prosecutor on Kenya. Progress on electoral reform, meanwhile, is slow and funding for it continues to be a challenge. As for the fight against corruption, to date not a single high-level official has ever been convicted on corruption charges. Additional to our concerns over the lack of reform, are our concerns over the general security situation in the country with persistent yet unconfirmed reports of communities arming themselves and fears of increased ethnic hostility.

It is imperative to ensure the full implementation of the reforms set out in the National Accord in order to avoid a recurrence of the unfortunate events of December 2007. Together with our partners in the EU, we will continue to make clear our concerns regarding the situation in Kenya and to call upon the parties in power urgently to implement the reform agenda well in advance of the elections in 2012.