Obama phones Uhuru, calls for free, fair polls next year

President Barack Obama has emphasised on the importance of “peaceful, free and fair elections” in Kenya next year during a telephone conversation on Monday, September 19 with President Uhuru Kenyatta, the White House has said.

The two leaders discussed issues of mutual concern related to the current UN General Assembly sessions in New York and to what the White House described as “the strong US-Kenya bilateral relationship.”

According to the White House, in the exchange, Obama expressed US interest in continuing to partner with Kenya on efforts to “deliver a lasting defeat to Al Shabaab in Somalia”.

Obama also “reiterated the international community’s appreciation for the efforts of long-term refugee hosting countries and in particular, Kenya’s forthcoming commitments to improve, among other things, refugee access to education in Kenya,” the White House summary added.

“President Kenyatta, on his part, expressed support for the objectives of this week’s UN Refugee Summit and the US-Africa Business Forum,” added the White House.

The Heads of State also discussed climate change and the importance of implementing the Paris Agreement that aims to slow the buildup of emissions in earth’s atmosphere.