There is no place in Kenya for U.S. plastic waste, its drone war or its promotion of Apartheid-Israel!

Joint Statement of the Revolutionary Socialist League (Kenya) and the Revolutionary Communist International Tendency, 4 October 2020, https://rslafrica.org and www.thecommunists.net

1.             Once again, U.S. imperialism tries to blackmail the Kenyan people. From what is currently known Washington puts three particularly outrageous demands on Kenya in the Free Trade Agreement negotiations.

a) It wants Kenya to withdraw its strict bans on the production, import or use of plastic bags.

b) The Pentagon is seeking authority to expand its drone war into Kenya.

c) It demands the “elimination” of any boycott campaign directed against the racist Apartheid state Israel.

2.             These demands aim to transform Kenya into a dumping ground of the huge plastic waste produced by corporations. It is well-known that this would have devastating ecological consequences and endanger the health of people. This is why plastic import has been banned in 2017. And now we shall open the country again so that it becomes a rubbish dump for the imperialists?!

3.             Furthermore, these demands are tantamount to intensify Kenya’s role as a deputy sheriff of U.S. war-mongering foreign policy. It is a shame that Kenya has already participated for years in the shameful pro-imperialist occupation of Somalia. However, now the Pentagon even demands to wage its drone war against opponents on Kenyan soil itself!

4.             In addition, Washington wants to force Kenya to serve the political and economic interests of Israel – an illegitimate state based on the mass expulsion of the Palestinian people. It is already shameful enough that the Kenyan regime officially recognises this Apartheid state. But now, Washington even demands that it persecutes supporters of the Palestinians liberation struggle!

5.             We alert people in other African countries that U.S. imperialism will certainly put similar demands to other nations in the upcoming trade negotiations since the (misnamed) African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) is set to expire in 2025.

6.             The Revolutionary Socialist League (Kenya) and the Revolutionary Communist International Tendency strongly denounce these demands of U.S. imperialism. We call the workers and popular organizations to mobilize and to put pressure on the government to refuse any concessions on these issues! We call patriotic, progressive and socialist organizations in other African country to join us in repudiating similar demands by the U.S. or any other imperialist Great Power!

* Keep the strict bans on the production, import or use of plastic bags!

* No expansion of the U.S. drone war to Kenyan soil! Expel all U.S. military from Kenya! Down with the pro-imperialist occupation of Somalia!

* Boycott Israel! Support the Palestinian liberation struggle!

Revolutionary Socialist League (Sympathising Section of the RCIT in Kenya), https://rslafrica.org

Revolutionary Communist International Tendency (Brazil, Mexico, Pakistan, Kashmir, Sri Lanka, South Korea, Israel/Occupied Palestine, Yemen, Nigeria, Kenya, Russia, Britain, Germany and Austria), www.thecommunists.net