Clinton tells Kenya to implement delayed reforms

NAIROBI (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told Kenya's government on Wednesday it must quickly implement long-delayed reforms and that corruption, impunity and human rights abuses were holding the country back.

Carrying a personal message from U.S. President Barack Obama, whose father was Kenyan, Clinton said she told President Mwai Kibaki and Prime Minister Raila Odinga they must work harder to fully implement a power-sharing deal that ended bloodletting after a disputed December 2007 election.

"The absence of strong, effective democratic institutions has permitted ongoing corruption, impunity, politically motivated violence, human rights abuses and a lack of respect for the rule of law," she said in unusually harsh language.

"These conditions helped fuel the post-election violence and they are continuing to hold Kenya back," said Clinton, who is in Nairobi for a U.S. trade conference with sub-Saharan African countries.

Kenyan Foreign Minister Moses Wetangula said his government was doing everything it could and it was important for nations to talk to each other candidly.

"President Kibaki and his team assured the Secretary of State that reforms are on course and that the war against impunity in the country is on, that a war against corruption is on," said Wetangula at the joint news conference with Clinton.

"All sanctuaries of corruption will be destroyed to make Kenya a cleaner and safer place to do business," he promised.

Last month, Kenya was ranked by Transparency International as east Africa's most graft-prone nation, with a bribe expected or solicited in nearly half of all transactions.

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Clinton said Obama, because of his strong links to Kenya, felt a deep personal commitment to the future of the country and he wanted reforms implemented quickly.

"I delivered a very frank statement from President Obama that he also would like to do everything we can to see this reform agenda delivered on," she said. "The election of President Obama demonstrates that progress is possible."

Clinton was a bitter rival of Obama's in last year's U.S. presidential race and she said her appointment as the top U.S. diplomat was proof that people who had competed against each other could work together.

"I can personally attest that political rivals can become productive partners in the service of the country and the people they love," Clinton said.

A senior U.S. official traveling with Clinton said her talks with the Kenyans were "very direct" and that she had outlined to Kenyan leaders details of conversations she had with Obama before leaving Washington.

The United States wants Kenya's leaders to hold to account those responsible for last year's post-election chaos and has expressed deep concern at the failure to set up a local court to deal with the perpetrators.

Under foreign and local pressure to catch those behind the killing of at least 1,300 people, Kenya came up with a vague formula last week hinting at solutions through existing judicial systems and a truth and reconciliation body.

That fell short of international calls for a special tribunal, and brought closer the possibility of an investigation and trial by the International Criminal Court (ICC).

Clinton reiterated on Wednesday that the United States wanted a local tribunal to deal with the issue, saying it was best to avoid having "outsiders" determine the outcome.

"There is still the hope that Kenya will solve this matter on its own," she said. (Editing by Daniel Wallis)