There were fears that other organizations - aid groups and businesses - would also leave unless there is an end to the violence that has engulfed Kenya since a Dec. 27 election that local and foreign observers say was rigged.
"There are questions already being asked, why are you there? What gives you the advantage to stay in Kenya?" said Steven Smith, managing director of Kenya operations for US battery maker Eveready.
Major foreign companies and aid groups have long used Kenya as a base in Africa, helping to make the country a regional economic powerhouse. But "let's face it, many firms don't have to manufacture here," Smith said.
More than 1,000 people have been killed and 300,000 forced from their homes in violence that has repeatedly degenerated into ethnic clashes. Much of the anger has been aimed at President Mwai Kibaki's Kikuyu tribe, long resented for dominating politics and the economy.
Smith was among the business leaders who met yesterday with former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, who is mediating peace talks between Kibaki and his chief rival, Raila Odinga. The business leaders again urged the politicians to end the violence.
As the business leaders were meeting in Nairobi, fighting persisted in parts of western Kenya, epicenter of the violence. Thousands more people fled their homes, leaving behind burned houses and rubble after days of fighting that killed seven people.
Last week, negotiators at the talks mediated by Annan agreed to take immediate action to end the violence. Yesterday they began discussing deeper political issues, talks they aim to complete within 15 days.
The talks have the backing of the international community. But US Ambassador Michael Ranneberger, in an interview published yesterday, expressed reservations about how much could be accomplished.
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