That the House of Representatives—
calls upon Kenya to—
hold credible, peaceful, free, and fair Presidential elections in August 2017 in order to advance Kenya’s democratic consolidation and promote stability in the broader region; and
condemn in the strongest terms the use of hate speech and the incitement of violence by political candidates, the media, or any Kenyan citizens;
calls upon Kenyan citizens to peacefully participate in the general elections and seek to resolve any disputes over results through the legal system;
calls upon Kenyan political candidates at the national, county, and local levels to respect the Electoral Code of Conduct and the Political Party Code of Conduct;
encourages political parties, civil society, and the media to act responsibly with their parallel vote tabulations so as not to usurp the role of the electoral commission as the official source for declaring official election results;
encourages Kenyan civil society organizations to continue providing critical early warning and response measures to mitigate election-related violence and further strengthen democratic processes;
commends the key role the faith-based community has played in ensuring a peaceful pre- and post-election environment through periodically convening the Multi-Sectoral Forum to deliberate on matters of governance, election management, and looming insecurity;
supports efforts by the Department of State, including the Bureau of Conflict and Stabilization Operations, the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, and the Bureau of African Affairs, and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to assist election-related preparations in Kenya, including programs focused on conflict mitigation;
strongly encourages the Administration to appoint an Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs in order to bolster diplomatic engagement across the African continent, including with the Government of Kenya, Kenya’s political parties, and the donor community, which has historically been critical during Kenya’s elections; and
calls upon the United States and Kenya’s other international partners, especially election-focused nongovernmental organizations, to continue to support Kenya’s efforts to address the remaining electoral preparation challenges and identify gaps in which additional resources or diplomatic engagement could make important contributions to the conduct of the elections.