Kenyan opposition supporters stage demo at U.S. embassy

NAIROBI, Feb. 16 (Xinhua) -- A section of Kenyan opposition supporters on Friday held a peaceful demonstration outside the U.S. embassy in Nairobi, demanding the resignation of Ambassador Robert Godec.

About 50 supporters who set on fire American flag outside the embassy called for the resignation of Godec who has been in Kenya since 2013, saying the envoy stayed in the country beyond his time and thus should leave the country.

The protesters accused the American envoy for being "partisan" in the country's pursuit for electoral justice.

The protesters who waved banners and placards which read "Godec Must Go; Respect Raila Odinga" called on foreign envoys to stop meddling in Kenya's politics.

"Godec is a U.S. citizen and he cannot purport to know our political dynamics better than we do. He can't determine how our leaders are supposed to conduct their politics," shouted one of the protesters.

The protesters criticized Western envoys who issued a joint statement on Sunday, asking Odinga to recognize the election of President Uhuru Kenyatta and Deputy President William Ruto as legitimate.

The demonstrators demanded that the U.S. envoy publicly apologize to Kenyans and Odinga for Washington to be viewed as an impartial player in the Kenyan democratic space.

The Friday's protests came after 11 Western diplomats including Godec on Sunday called on Odinga to recognize Kenyatta as the president to allow the country to regain its normalcy and improve its economy.

"The Opposition needs to accept this as the basis for the dialogue that it and many Kenyans want. Stoking and threatening violence are not acceptable, nor are extra-constitutional measures to seize power," the envoys said.

However, the opposition leaders including lawmakers have warned Western envoys to keep off Kenya's political affairs, noting that the envoys push was motivated by commercial interests.

Odinga accused the envoys of being selfish and asked them to leave Kenyans alone. "Their only interest is to do business at the behest of their countries. They are not interested in our democracy," said Odinga, who last month took the oath of office as the "people's president".

He told the diplomats that Kenyans were capable of solving their problems internally, accusing the envoys of serving self-interests after they endorsed the August 8, 2017 presidential election and the repeat October voting in which Odinga boycotted. Enditem