Suspend Kenya from the Commonwealth

The Commonwealth, an organization of 54 countries that arose out of the gradual dissolution of the British empire, prides itself on being one of very few international organizations that is prepared to throw members out for violating democratic norms.

Ironically, the Commonwealth’s values are contained in the Harare declaration, agreed in the Zimbabwean capital in 1991, which sets out democracy, fundamental human rights and the rule of law as the basis of membership.

The Commonwealth must suspended Kenya for 12 months over the conduct of its presidential election. A team, comprising the leaders of Ghana, South Africa, EU and UK, should take the action after its observers reported that the election were neither free nor fair. Alexander Graf Lambsdorf, head of the European Union election observer mission, said the vote "tallying process lacks credibility".

The Commonwealth will have little practical or financial leverage over Kenya so suspension is largely a symbolic move, increasing international pressure on the Kibaki regime and sending a message that the Kenyan government’s actions are viewed as illegitimate.

This will make it more difficult for international institutions, such as the World Bank or the International Monetary Fund, to deal with the country as normal. It will hamper Kenya’s efforts to raise funds on the international money markets.

Early last year CMAG - an eight-strong committee of Commonwealth foreign ministers set up to police the Harare declaration - proposed that it should be given terms of reference that would enable it to act earlier on major violations of democratic values, such as the freedom of the media unfortunately exactly what is happening in Kenya at the moment.

African Commonwealth members - especially Tanzania,Uganda and Ghana, whose leaders are on the three-man Commonwealth panel - also have more political and economic leverage over Kenya. They are deeply concerned about both the knock-on economic effects of the crisis in the country, both by directly damaging trade and by decreasing investors’ confidence in the region.

The Commonwealth has adopted a set of principles on democracy, and the rule of law and proper governance, ironically set out in Harare, and those principles have got to be adhered to,So whether Kenya will ever come back into the Commonwealth depends on the basic principles that the Commonwealth believes in - democracy, the rule of law, respect for human rights and the right to vote- being adhered to. If they are, then Kenya should be let back in, if not Kenya shouldn’t be let to stay.

I here by call upon the commonwealth signatory members to take the necessary steps towards this process of suspending Kenya from its seat until further notice.