By KAPLICH BARSITO and PAUL REDFERN

For nearly 49 years he relied on the nostalgic stories of his parents to keep alive the memory of his birth place.

This week, Peter Hain, the British Minister of State responsible for African and Commonwealth Affairs, made an emotional trip to the little room tucked away at the Kenya School of Law, Nairobi, where mother Adeline delivered him on February 16, 1950.

But does he remember much? "Of course, I cannot, who would recall their birth? I was in nappies when my parents moved to South Africa a year later. I can't recall a thing about this place," he says of the tells a group of journalists outside the law school, which was Nairobi Hospital's Maia Carberry Maternity Wing of the Nairobi Hospital where he was born.

"My parents told me they flew to Kenya in an old-model, open-top Dakota plane and then drove back all the way to South Africa by road," Hain says of his South African-born parents Walter and Adeline Hain, who now live in the UK. Work had brought Mr Walter, Hain, an architect, to Nairobi, where he designed several office blocks in the budding city. centre.

As cameras clicked away on Wednesday morning (last week), Mr Leonard Njagi, the principal of the Kenya School of Law, was on hand to receive Mr Hain and led him into the room in which he was born. that holds the secret of his birth. He had spent about one hour with President Moi at State House before going to check out the Maia Carberry room. He was also to visit the August House, meet the Leader of the Official leader Opposition in the Parliament Mwai Kibaki and later civic society leaders in the evenining.

Kenya was the second stop of Mr Hain's whirlwind tour of Africa to explain Britain's new policy on Africa dubbed "backing success", which demands that support only goes to nations committed to democracy, respect human for human rights and economic reform.

He says that as a son of Kenya, who left as a one-year old, the country has always held a special place in his heart. "I want to build a new partnership between African countries and Britain. Under that policy, the UK will support governments that stand up for democracy and human rights, that want to reform their and modernise their economies." he declared to members of the local and foreign press gathered at the hotel. Encouring words. Then rapid- fire pronouncements: The Kingdom will not subsidise economic mismanagement, corruption and repression. §

What was his message to the Kenyan authorities? "I am visiting as a warm friend of Kenya but a cold enemy of corruption, human rights abuse and economic incompetence."

Described as a rising star in Tony Blair's government, Mr Hain is both a strong-willed, and pleasant personality. He was previously parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Welsh Office since 1997. Other responsibilities he has held include being a parliamentary election observer in Nigeria in 1993 and South Africa in 1994.

Married with Hain who is married with two sons, Mr Hain was a school governor between 1981 and 1990 and a member of the was Health Authority member between 1987 and 1987. He was elected Labour MP for Neath in 1991.

He would like the privatisation of the telecommunications sector a process he says is desperately lagging behind, speeded up to allow more players in the arena.

Hain wants to see the judicial system stremlined by rooting out corrupt judges, beefing up the number of staff and modernising its processes.

The anti-Corruption authority should be given more teeth he says while reforms are needed in the road sector to weed out rampant corruption in the tendering process.

On the economic Recovery Strategy launched by President Moi in July which saw the entry of private sector technocrats led by Dr Richard Leakey into the public service, the UK minister says his country is supportive of the initiative .

"I have assurance from both the president and the head of the public service that the recovery process is irreversible. I know there are powerful shadowy figures who would like to derail the exercise to protect their interest but we will back the government against those," Although debate currently rages in the country on the Moi succession issue, Britain will not be drawn to it says Hain. "We cannot dictate to Kenyans who should led them it is a matter for them to decide. Of course we would be glad to see a smooth transition and a person of integrity and political strength taking over," Hain was appointed Minister of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office on July 29. That posting puts him second in command at foreign affairs to Mr Robin Cook, the Foreign Secretary. His responsibilities include Africa, Commonwealth, Middle East, South Asia, Human Rights, Environment, United Nations, Economic Relations and Visas.

He Mr Hain who was born in Kenya in 1950 and is married with two sons, was first elected to Parliament in April 1991 and . He is believed to be the first Kenyan-born Minister to serve in the British Government.

During the 1970s, he was a radical campaigner against apartheid as the then president of the Young Liberals and some people credit him more than anyone else for having stopped rugby tours between Britain and South Africa.

Before taking up the Commonwealth Foreign Minister's posting, he had been shadow Employment Minister between 1996 and 1997. and was previously Under-Secretary of State at the Welsh Office since Labour were elected in 1997. He had been forced to leave South Africa in 1966 owing to his parents' opposition to the South African oppressive regime and it was his parents who clearly inspired him in his campaigns ing work during the 1970s and 1980s against to end the apartheid government in Pretoria.

Educated at both London and Sussex universities, Mr Hain has been also worked in the Health Service as well as being an active member of the GMB union. In 1993 and 1994, he was one of several British parliamentarians chosen as to be poll election observers in Nigeria and South Africa in the first free elections. Probably because of his background, Mr Hain talks with a lot of passion about the African continent. His speech at a conference on the challenges of governance in Africa on September 13, held in Wilton Park, UK, opened thus:

"At dawn in Soweto, South Africa, in 1994, the queue stretched far out of sight. Emotions welled up inside me as I watched people voting for the first time in their lives. Something of the same feeling is with me today, standing before you as 'Britain's Minister for Africa' setting out my strategy for a new partnership with Africa. Why? Because I am a son of Africa, born under the African sky in Nairobi and brought up in Pretoria,"

His parents were among the strongest supporters of the anti-apartheid crusaders movement in South Africa. They were severally arrested many times, harassed and even imprisoned by the apartheid regime; and when the authorities could not stand them any more, they were banished in 1966 and forced into exile in the United Kingdom.

Young Hain, then only 16, had drunk from the cup of anti-apartheid activism held by his parents and continued running with the torch in UK universities. He organised and led protests against sports activities in which South African teams participated. He dug up cricket fields when South Africa was expected just to ensure they did not play.

When he later met Nelson Mandela, the leading African statesman a delighted Mandelatold him that news on his activities used to reach the freedom fighters at Roben Island Prison.

"Now after centuries of slavery, economic exploitation, colonial and neo-colonial behaviour that has left Africa the poorer, I am determined to build a genuine partnership between the continent of my birth and my adopted homeland,"

No one can accuse Mr Hain of neglecting his country of birth. Though he has not visited Kenya often, Mr Hain has been a fierce critic of President Moi's government, often penning some strongly worded letters of protest against human rights abuse.

In 1993 he wrote a series of letters to the then Aid Minister Baroness Lynda Chalker and in one of them he said that theviolence in the Rift Valley was "endemic" and that "the blame for the violence lies squarely in the Kenya Government's court".

Mr Hain also said that "in view of the Kenya Government's continuing abuse of human rights, I strongly urge the British Government advises the (then forthcoming) Consultative Group (meeting) to refuse to restore aid until such abuses cease."

But last week, he Mr Hain had changed his tone. in his attitude towards Kenya. "I adopted a pessimistic attitude in the last 10 ten years but now I have good reason to be optimistic. I believe Kenya is turning a corner towards true reforms and recovery and all Kenyans have my support as far as that is concerned."

Does Kenya qualify for debt forgiveness? It depends on the direction and speed of the on-going recovery process. says Hain. "That is because we want to ensure that every pound of taxpayers' money is spent on the right cause."

The jury is still out on Kenya concerning the suspended structural adjustment programme funding by the IMF and the World Bank., Hain says. It is hoped, However, Mr Hain he says that the team assessing Kenya's fulfilment of the conditions set establishedby the two financing institutions will give a favourable report when they meet the Consultative Group in November.

"Kenya is now better-placed to seek fruitful negotiations with donor countries than it was 10 ten years ago." adds Mr Hain.

On peace in the region, Mr Hain applauds President Moi's efforts in bringing warring groups to the negotiation table. In that regard, HeHe announced that the British Government had donated Sh4 million to the secretariat of IGAD, headed by Daniel Mboya, Kenya's peace envoy in the Southern Sudan conflict., Daniel Mboya

Mr Hain says that aoCommenting on former Chilean dictator, Gen Pinochet, who may be extradited faces is 's plight, Mr Hain says Pinochet who is facing an extradition to Spain to face charges of human rights abuse, is a lesson to dictators everywhere that their evil deeds will not go unpunished.

The straight-talking Minister admits that his country has in the past backed repressive regimes in Africa the continent but says that should not be allowed to happen again. "We will not fund repression or bankroll dictatorship. These evils have failed Africa and we will not back failure. I endorse South African President Thabo Mbeki's vision of 'African Renaissance' to help unite Africa towards success."

Britain Guns, says Hain is a major curse afflicting Africa and that Britain was determined not to supply arms defence material where they could start, sustain or stoke internal and external aggression.

In Kenya, Mr Hain wants to see the privatisation of the telecommunication sector, a process he says "which is desperately lagging behind, speeded up to allow more players in the arena."

He wants to see the Judiciary judicial system streamlined by rooting out corrupt judges, beefing up the number of staff and modernising its processes.

The Anti-Corruption Authority should be given more teeth and he says while reforms are needed in the road sector to weed out rampant corruption in the tendering process.

On the economic Recovery Strategy launched by President Moi in July which saw the entry of private sector technocrats led by Dr Richard Leakey into the public service, the UK minister says his country is supportive of the initiative .

"I have assurance from both the president and the head of the public service that the recovery process is irreversible. I know there are powerful shadowy figures who would like to derail the exercise to protect their interest but we will back the government against those,"

Although debate currently rages in the country on the Moi succession issue, Britain will not be drawn into it. says Hain. "We cannot dictate to Kenyans who should lead them; it is a matter for them to decide. Of course, we would be glad to see a smooth transition and a person of integrity and political strength taking over."

Hain was appointed Minister of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office on July 29. That posting puts him second in command at foreign affairs to Mr Robin Cook, the Foreign Secretary. His responsibilities include Africa, Commonwealth, Middle East, South Asia, Human Rights, Environment, United Nations, Economic Relations and Visas.

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