Today’s Headlines – Wed. 2/20/2008

Afternoon UPDATE:
More bloodshed in Kenya as crisis talks hit tough times - AFP

Overview - Kenya opposition vows protests if Annan talks fail – Reuters
1 - Kibaki’s proposals on how to end poll crisis - Nation
2 - Renewed threat of Kenyan protests - BBC
3 - More bloodshed in Kenya as crisis talks face tough times – AFP
4 - Official warns about rushing Kenya talks – UPI
5 - Kenya Crisis Talks Stall Over Power Sharing- VOA
6 - Kenyan opposition threatens to restart protests – Guardian (UK)
7 - Kenya's opposition threatens mass protests - AP
8 - Kenya: Major Rifts As Talks Resume – Nation
9 - KENYA: "We are all affected" – UN IRIN
10 - Offering support to Christians in Kenya - Taize Community (France)

UPDATE:
More bloodshed in Kenya as crisis talks hit tough times - AFP

3 hours ago

NAIROBI (AFP) — Five people have died in clashes in recent days in western Kenya, police said Wednesday, as former UN chief Kofi Annan struggled to save talks aimed at ending a crisis sparked by December's elections.

Also Wednesday, the opposition Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) vowed fresh protests if parliament fails to meet within one week to mull constitutional changes in a bid to end the political deadlock.

But President Mwai Kibaki, while insisting that "we had an obligation to obey the constitution," said it was reconciliation time and urged the opposition to avoid "sideshows that will distract the Kenyan people from that path," his office said in a statement.

African Union Commission chief Jean Ping is expected here on Thursday for a two-day visit to assess progress made in the talks.

"In the last four days, three people have been killed in Molo and two others in Cherangani area," where thousands of livestock were also stolen, a police commander told AFP, requesting anonymity.

Police said they had boosted security in the volatile regions that were the scene of some of the worst fighting set off by the disputed December 27 re-election of Kibaki, in which more than 1,000 people died and some 300,000 were displaced.

Annan has spent more than a month in Kenya, leading talks between the camps of Kibaki and ODM chief Raila Odinga, who claims he was robbed of victory.

Washington this week pressed for a power-sharing deal, but Kibaki dampened hopes by cautioning "that any political solution that will be proposed must be in tandem with the current Kenyan constitution."

Kibaki said "the constitution must serve as a guide while the mediation team discussed what legal and institutional reforms are needed to move the country forward," his office announced after talks with Annan on Tuesday.

But the ODM accused the government of using the constitution to derail the talks that have barely made progress.

"The ODM proposes that parliament is summoned within the next one week to enact necessary changes in the constitution to implement the mediation proposals. If that does not happen, the ODM will resume peaceful mass action," ODM Secretary General Anyang Nyongo told reporters here.

"The people of Kenya are tired of the delays, tactics and excuses. We have resolved there will be mass action," said Najib Balala, another top ODM official.

But police chief Major General Mohamed Hussein Ali said he won't allow the protests.

And Kibaki warned: "As a government, we have said we will walk along the path of national reconciliation and dialogue. It is therefore not the time to engage in sideshows that will distract the Kenyan people from this path."

A joint government-opposition legal panel formed to find a way out of the crisis reported progress on a power-sharing proposal, but details of the discussion remained sketchy.

To assist the panel, Annan asked the former UN Legal Counsel Hans Corell of Sweden to assist the the panel deal with legal issues.

Launched by the AU, Annan's mediation is seen as Kenya's best hope for a political solution to move beyond the violence which saw Kenyans killed by machete-wielding mobs, burnt in churches and driven off their land.
Police spokesman Eric Kiraithe said forces were "working very hard to ensure that there is preservation of peace."

Meanwhile, police overnight descended on the capital's Mathare slums and evicted dozens of families from Odinga's Luo tribe who had refused to pay rent over the past months, local police commander Jasper Ombati told reporters.
Ensuing fighting resulted in the burning of a minibus and many casualties.

Also Wednesday, Kenya's Nobel peace laureate Wangari Maathai said she had received death threats from a banned Mungiki armed sect over her stand on crisis.

"I found the message (SMS) that read 'because of opposing the government at all times, Professor Wangari Mathaai, we have decided to look for your head very soon. Chunga maisha yako (Take care of your life),'" she told reporters.

Police also killed two members of Mungiki, blamed for a string of grisly beheadings last year, in a Nairobi suburb after they were caught extorting from the public.

The political crisis has tapped into simmering resentment over land, poverty and the dominance of the Kikuyu, Kibaki's tribe, in Kenyan politics and business since independence from Britain in 1963.

Copyright © 2008 AFP. All rights reserved.
http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5j0a0hIdEfGAObuOsc9Far6KHGkYw

Overview - Kenya opposition vows protests if Annan talks fail - Reuters

20 Feb 2008 12:21:20 GMT
Source: Reuters

(Recasts with opposition)

By Daniel Wallis and Duncan Miriri

NAIROBI, Feb 20 (Reuters) - Kenya's opposition threatened to resume street protests in a week if talks led by Kofi Annan fail to end a post-election crisis that has killed more than 1,000 people and tarnished the country's reputation for stability.

Kenyans and world powers alike have called on President Mwai Kibaki and opposition leader Raila Odinga to agree a deal to halt turmoil that has also displaced 300,000.

Odinga's Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) is demanding constitutional changes creating a powerful post of prime minister for their man -- something Kibaki's Party of National Unity (PNU) has looked unlikely to concede.

As anxiety over the delays grew, the opposition accused the government of not being a "serious partner" in the talks, and of using stalling tactics to cement its hold on power.

"The ODM proposes that parliament be summoned within the next one week to enact the necessary changes in the constitution to implement these mediation proposals," said ODM secretary-general Anyang' Nyong'o. "If that does not happen ODM will resume peaceful mass action."

Previous opposition protests after the vote brought mayhem and deaths to Kenyan cities as demonstrators battled police. The chaos has caused massive damage to the region's largest economy.

The opposition accuses Kibaki's team of stealing victory at the Dec. 27 polls. Kibaki's side says it won fairly and accuses ODM of instigating tribal violence following the final results.

The government team is resisting calls by U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, chief mediator Annan and other western nations to allow a power-sharing deal or "grand coalition".

CONSTITUTION DEBATE
On Tuesday, Kibaki said he was "willing to work together and share responsibilities in government" with ODM, but that any deal "must be in tandem with the current Kenyan constitution".

The government's insistence on sticking to the constitution -- a colonial-era treaty which all sides agree is long overdue for reform -- could block any special new arrangement to accommodate ODM like a premier's post for Odinga, analysts say.

Nyong'o accused PNU hardliners of zealously defending the country's "imperial presidency" at the expense of Kenyans.

Many Kenyans fear a return to bloodshed if a final deal is not struck soon, and local media say gangs in some conflict-hit areas have been re-arming with crude weapons.

The United Nations has also warned of looming food shortages as the unrest affected crop planting, particularly the Rift Valley where about half of Kenya's cereals are grown.

A deadline set by former U.N. boss Annan for a political deal by mid-February has passed, despite a trip last week to a secluded safari lodge to focus minds. But the Ghanaian has vowed he will stay until the talks reach an "irreversible" point.

The delays at the negotiations have irked many Kenyans.

"The hardening of positions by both sides -- obviously due to the high stakes in the event the deal is sealed -- promises a longer and more torturous path to a compromise," local columnist Jackson Mwalulu wrote in the Daily Nation.

"The PNU and ODM negotiating teams have so far succeeded in making a complicated job nearly impossible. From outside looking in, it is more about egos and sibling rivalries. Each side is too careful not to be seen to have been the first one to blink."

(For special coverage from Reuters on Kenya's crisis see: http ://africa.reuters.com/elections/kenya/)

(Writing by Daniel Wallis, Editing by Andrew Cawthorne and Ralph Boulton)

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L20675141.htm


NEWS
1 - Kibaki’s proposals on how to end poll crisis - Nation

Story by BERNARD NAMUNANE and LUCAS BARASA
Publication Date: 2/20/2008

President Kibaki on Tuesday for the first time signalled the kind of agreement he is proposing to help resolve the political crisis which has engulfed the country since the disputed elections.

The President said he was willing to work with and share government responsibilities with ODM, but within the existing constitution while a new one is being written.

He said the government fully supports a comprehensive constitutional review within 12 months as “a correct platform to systematically address the challenges that face the country.”

President Kibaki made his position known during a meeting with former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, who is leading a team of international mediators helping to end the post-election crisis.

Share power
President Kibaki’s position on the talks contrasts with that of ODM, whose leaders want an Executive Prime Minister appointed to share power with the President. The President would then be Head of State and the Prime Minister Head of Government.

ODM also want Cabinet and other government positions shared out proportionally, according to party strength in parliament, and the power to transfer, hire and fire retained by the appointing authority.

ODM are proposing a two year period to review the constitution before a re-run of the Presidential race.

ODM reiterated its demands for an executive PM post and half of the country’s 34 ministerial slots that should be equally distributed in terms of profile with PNU. It also demanded all other civil service jobs be distributed proportionally.

It is also understood that a draft document on the mandate, terms of reference and membership of the proposed independent review committee that would investigate the flaws of the 2007 elections and make recommendations had been done.

Meanwhile, American President George Bush suggested that any interventions from the United Nations into African trouble spots should be with a bigger mandate rather than just peace keeping and pledged American support for such efforts. “One of the lessons I take from the Rwanda genocide is to take some early warning signs seriously,” he said at a press conference in Kigali.

“Pay attention to the warning signs and prevent crises like this from happening,” he said adding, “we are obviously trying to prevent such a crisis from happening in Kenya. Condi Rice briefed the president in her meeting yesterday (Monday), and we strongly support Kofi Annan’s efforts.”

“I am not suggesting that anything close (to what happened in Rwanda) is happening in Kenya or is gonna happen, but I am suggesting that there are some warning signs that the international community needs to pay attention to. And we are paying attention to it and I know the AU will as well.”

Presidential results
Others in Mr Annan’s team are former South African First Lady Graca Machel and former Tanzanian President Benjamin Mkapa.

More than 1,000 people have died and more than 300,000 displaced in violence which followed the announcement of the Presidential results.

The proposals released after a meeting between President Kibaki and Mr Annan did not mention fresh elections.

It was a day of intense negotiations with Government MPs holding a Parliamentary Group meeting and insisting that the government should stand firm and push for a Government of National Unity.

Sources said the MPs dismissed as “unreasonable” demands for power sharing with ODM, and took issue with what they saw as international pressure on the country. They said they will not pass legislation under duress.

Earlier, at the meeting with Mr Annan, President Kibaki gave an assurance that the Government fully supported the mediation process.

According to a statement by the Presidential Press Service, the President was willing to work together and share responsibilities in Government with members of the ODM. The President, however, cautioned that any political solution that will be proposed must be in tandem with the current constitution.

The government was, however, fully supportive of a comprehensive review of the constitution within twelve months, as a correct platform to systematically address the challenges facing the country.

President Kibaki pointed out that the current negotiations had reached a critical stage and gave his assurance to Kenyans that he would follow through the remaining stages.

At the Serena Hotel, mediation talks to end the crisis were tottering on the edge of a stalemate following a fresh demand by the Government that ODM should accept that President Kibaki won the elections.

At the centre of the new row were the Government’s position that President Kibaki was ready to share the responsibilities of his government with ODM members under the current Constitution.

However, ODM negotiators pushed for a power-sharing arrangement guided by minimum Constitutional amendments to provide for an executive Prime Minister’s position and equal share of Cabinet slots.

Sources said the Government and ODM members on the National Dialogue and Reconciliation committee failed to strike the way forward during the morning session and used the lunch break to consult their principals respectively on the new turn of events.

Even Mr Annan decided to meet President Kibaki over the position taken by his team that ruled out the possibility of entering into proportional coalition arrangement with ODM.

The two leaders met at Harambee House between 2 pm and 3 pm before Mr Annan went back to chair the talks. Mbooni MP Mutula Kilonzo said the Constitution will not be amended to take on board the interests of an individual but those of the entire nation.

“We will not change the Constitution to accommodate individuals but to take care of the interests of the nation. We are going to discuss the issue of responsibility distribution,” he said. However, he sought to give Kenyans hope when he stated that a sub-committee of four had been formed to deliberate on the kind of government structure that would be acceptable to the two sides.

Those who will sit on the committee are Justice and Constitutional Affairs minister Martha Karua, Mr Kilonzo, Eldoret North MP William Ruto, his Ugenya colleague, James Orengo and former Swedish Ambassador Hans Correll. “We have agreed on the formation of a sub committee of four people to deliberate on the structure of governance which will be in line with the current Constitution,” he said.

Mr Wetang’ula said the committee would provide an informal forum during which the governance structure will be agreed upon.

The new turn of events came only a day after US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice visited the country and held a series of meeting with President Kibaki, Mr Odinga and Mr Annan and urged the two sides to speedily agree on a power sharing political settlement to end the crisis.

The talks resumed only a day after Dr Rice met key players and urged them to quickly agree on a coalition government to save thousands of Kenyans affected by the violence which followed the disputed Presidential elections.
“The time for a political settlement was supposed to be yesterday and it (agreeing on a coalition) has to be urgent.

The leaders (President Kibaki and Mr Odinga) have to come together and there is need to have a power-sharing arrangement for the country to move forward,” she said.

Issues were different
However, issues were different yesterday when the Government team which comprising Cabinet ministers Karua, Sam Ongeri, Moses Wetang’ula and Mr Kilonzo resumed the talks with the ODM delegation of MPs Musalia Mudavadi, William Ruto, Sally Kosgei and Orengo at the Serena Hotel.

The Government side, which was expected to table its written proposal of a coalition government in which President Kibaki retained his positions as the Head of Government and Head of State with a readiness to appoint a non-executive Prime Minister, came up with a different suggestion.

They submitted that President Kibaki was declared the winner of the 2007 Presidential elections and sworn in office according to the Constitution and should be recognised by ODM as the legitimate winner of the polls.

But ODM Secretary General, Professor Anyang’ Nyong’o, appealed to the Government team to avoid issuing statements that would jeopardize the mediation process.

http://www.nationmedia.com/dailynation/nmgcontententry.asp?category_id=1&newsid=117272


2 - Renewed threat of Kenyan protests - BBC

Kenya's opposition has warned it will relaunch mass protests in a week's time if talks do not break Kenya's political deadlock over disputed elections.

It demands parliament be recalled to pass constitutional changes that would allow a power-sharing agreement.

The opposition say MPs have one week to meet but the president remains opposed to any constitutional changes.
Violence over the dispute has left at least 1,000 people dead across Kenya.

However, most parts of Kenya are now calm.

It can't be that there is simply the illusion of power-sharing, it has to be real Condoleezza Rice US Secretary of State

Meanwhile, Nobel peace laureate Wangari Maathai told Kenyan reporters that she had received death threats from the banned Mungiki armed sect by text message.

Ms Maathai is a former minister and from the same ethnic group, the Kikuyu, as President Mwai Kibaki, but she has called for compromises by leaders on both sides since violence flared following the 27 December polls.

"Because of opposing the government at all times, Professor Wangari Maathai, we have decided to look for your head very soon. Chunga maisha yako (Take care of your life)," the text message read, she told reporters.

Deadlock
Former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan has been the chief mediator at the talks for a month. Last week he said the two sides were "very close" to a solution - but any deal now appears a long way off.

Although both sides have agreed the idea of a grand coalition in principle, they appear deadlocked over how it should work in practice.

The opposition Orange Democratic Movement accuses the government of not being a serious partner in the negotiations.

Opposition leader Raila Odinga wants powers to be vested in the new post of prime minister - but this needs MPs to amend the constitution.

President Kibaki's team has left several cabinet posts unfilled, opening the way for some form of coalition government - but remains opposed to the creation of a post of prime minister.

This was the issue that caused Mr Odinga to withdraw his support from President Kibaki several years ago.
US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice urged both sides to reach a deal after holding separate meetings with President Kibaki and Mr Odinga on Monday.

"It can't be that there is simply the illusion of power-sharing, it has to be real, " she said.

Story from BBC NEWS:http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/africa/7254833.stm

Published: 2008/02/20 12:28:33 GMT© BBC MMVIII


3 - More bloodshed in Kenya as crisis talks face tough times - AFP

2 hours ago

NAIROBI (AFP) — At least five people have died in clashes in recent days in western Kenya, police said Wednesday, as former UN chief Kofi Annan pressed for a deal to end the crisis sparked by December's elections.

"In the last four days, three people have been killed in Molo and two others in Cherangani area," a police commander told AFP, requesting anonymity.

In Cherangani, thousands of livestock were stolen in the violence.

Police said they had boosted security in volatile western areas of the east African country that were the scene of some of the worst fighting set off by the disputed December 27 re-election of President Mwai Kibaki, in which more than 1,000 people died and some 300,000 were displaced.

Annan has spent more than a month in Kenya leading talks between the camps of Kibaki and opposition leader Raila Odinga, who claims he was robbed of victory in the widely-contested polls.

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Monday pressed for a swift power-sharing deal between the two leaders, but Kibaki damped hopes of a quick resolution by insisting that any accord must be within the constitution.

In a meeting with Annan on Tuesday, Kibaki said "that he was willing to work together and share responsibilities in government with members of the ODM," the presidential press service (PPS) said in a statement.

"The president, however, cautioned that any political solution that will be proposed must be in tandem with the current Kenyan constitution."

"President Kibaki noted that the constitution must serve as a guide while the mediation team discussed what legal and institutional reforms are needed to move the country forward," the PPS statement added.

A joint government-opposition panel formed to find a way out of the crisis reported progress on Odinga's proposal that a both sides share executive powers equally.

"We are making some progress, albeit slowly," opposition official William Ruto told reporters. "We have identified areas of discussion," added government negotiator Mutula Kilonzo. Details of the discussion remained sketchy.

Launched by the African Union, Annan's mediation is seen as Kenya's best hope for a political solution to move beyond the violence which saw Kenyans killed by machete-wielding mobs, burnt in churches and driven off their land.

"We are working very hard to ensure that there is preservation of peace," police spokesman Eric Kiraithe told AFP Wednesday.

Police overnight descended on the capital's Mathare slums and evicted dozens of families from Odinga's Luo tribe who had refused to pay rent over the past months, local police commander Jasper Ombati told reporters.

"We received complaints that there were people who had illegally occupied houses, taking advantage of the post-election violence. We arrested 80 families that had refused to pay the rent, but investigations are under way," Ombati told reporters.

But residents said police descended on the volatile shantytown without warning and used force to evict the families, beating women and children who had occupied the four highrise apartment blocks.

Fighting erupted at about 4.00 am, which resulted in the burning of a minibus and many casualties.

"This is wrong. It was a very bad overnight operation, people were wailing all over the area because police used unnecessary force on women and children," said Mathare resident Mark Otieno.

"We are not to surrender until they are released," he added.

Witnesses said the crackdown spurred a stand-off between police and the residents.

The political crisis has tapped into simmering resentment over land, poverty and the dominance of the Kikuyu, Kibaki's tribe, in Kenyan politics and business since independence from Britain in 1963.

Copyright © 2008 AFP. All rights reserved

http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5h-KzGKeX3564MHKbi1HtAdxXXNVw


4 - Official warns about rushing Kenya talks - UPI

Published: Feb. 20, 2008 at 1:20 AM

NAIROBI, Kenya, Feb. 20 (UPI) -- A basic disagreement over how much power Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki should share with the opposition has stalled peace talks.

Koigi Mamwere, the country's former deputy information minister, in an interview with Voice of America warned the talks "should not be rushed."

"My own position has been if Kofi Annan and the international community are convinced that the elections were so badly flawed that they don't allow the president's legitimacy, it becomes difficult to ask that the same flawed elections should lend legitimacy to the leader of the opposition, and have, him as a result, given a position of a prime minister," he said.

The Orange Democratic Movement argues that Kibaki should agree to a 50-50 settlement with its leader, Raila Odinga, as prime minister and another election in two years. Annan, the former secretary-general of the United Nations, and U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice have been trying to mediate a settlement.

© 2008 United Press International. All Rights Reserved.This material may not be reproduced, redistributed, or manipulated in any form.

http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/Top_News/2008/02/20/official_warns_about_rushing_kenya_talks/5003/

5 - Kenya Crisis Talks Stall Over Power Sharing- VOA

By Peter Clottey Washington, D.C.20 February 2008

Clottey Interview With Koigi Wamwere - Download (MP3)
Clottey Interview With Koigi Wamwere - Listen (MP3)

In Kenya, talks between the government and the opposition Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) have reportedly hit a stalemate over disagreement about power sharing. This comes after embattled President Mwai Kibaki’s government rejected calls by United States Secretary of state Condoleezza Rice and talks mediator Kofi Annan to allow for a power-sharing deal or a grand coalition. The opposition is demanding a 50:50 arrangement, with ODM leader Raila Odinga as prime minister, followed by fresh elections in two years. But the government dismissed the opposition demands as untenable. Koigi Wamwere is Kenya’s former deputy information minister. He tells reporter Peter Clottey from the capital, Nairobi that Kenyans want the political crisis resolved.

“I think what is going on is that the mediators together with our opposition have suggested a grand coalition as solutions to our immediate problem. The opposition is asking that it be given the position of an executive prime minister and that the president should not exercise such powers, and that they should be able to share government ministry, and other appointments on 50:50 basis. Now, the government found these unacceptable, they are not entirely opposed to the opposition in the government, but on the president’s terms. And they completely refuse that the president should not finish his term of five years of exercise executive power. And I think this is where the problem is,” Wamwere noted.

He concurs that the government’s entrenched position would not help with the attempt to find a lasting solution to the ongoing post-election political crisis.

“Probably, it does not, but my own position has been if Kofi Annan and the international community are convinced that the elections were so badly flawed that they don’t allow the president’s legitimacy, it becomes difficult to ask that the same flawed elections should lend legitimacy to the leader of the opposition, and have, him as a result, given a position of a prime minister,” he said.

Wamwere said although Kenyans want a quick resolution to the crisis, there was need for a holistic approach to the resolution of the political crisis.

“It is true that we want a resolution. A quick resolution of the current crisis, but we have also to realize that these are the kinds of talks that should not be rushed because they are trying to solve problems that have been accumulating over decades, and what has taken years to build up cannot be solved overnight unless somebody is not serious.

Equally, we have to be very careful not to allow our friends from outside Kenya to be seen to be imposing some kind of solution to our current problems.

Meanwhile, Kibaki’s office said the government is willing to work with the opposition ODM to share responsibilities in government, but said any solution must be in accordance with the country’s current constitution.

http://www.voanews.com/english/Africa/2008-02-20-voa2.cfm

12.30pm GMT

6 - Kenyan opposition threatens to restart protests – Guardian (UK)

Mark Tran and agencies
Wednesday February 20 2008

[Photo]A sign daubed on the wall of a destroyed house in Nairobi's Kibera slum calls for peace. Photograph: Paula Bronstein/Getty Images

The Kenyan opposition today threatened to resume mass protests amid increasing impatience at the failure to achieve progress in power-sharing talks with the government.

Accusing the government of not being "a serious partner" in negotiations, the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) set a one-week deadline for constitutional changes to allow a political settlement.

"If that does not happen, ODM will resume peaceful mass action," the party said in a statement.

Despite mediation by the former UN secretary general Kofi Annan and the encouragement of the US, Kenya's feuding political parties have yet to break the deadlock on how to share power.

Since December's disputed elections, more than 1,000 people have died in ethnic violence and over 300,000 displaced, severely tarnishing Kenya's reputation for stability.

The ODM is demanding the creation of a powerful prime minister's post for its leader, Raila Odinga, but the party of National Unity (PNU), led by the president, Mwai Kibaki, is refusing to concede on this point.

"The hardening of positions by both sides - obviously due to the high stakes in the event the deal is sealed - promises a longer and more torturous path to a compromise," columnist Jackson Mwalulu wrote in the Daily Nation newspaper.
"The PNU and ODM negotiating teams have so far succeeded in making a complicated job nearly impossible. From outside looking in, it is more about egos and sibling rivalries. Each side is too careful not to be seen to have been the first one to blink."

The opposition accuses Kibaki's team of stealing victory at the December 27 poll. Kibaki's side says it won fairly, and has accused the ODM of instigating violence against his supporters after the results.

The government team is resisting calls by Annan, the US secretary of state, Condoleezza Rice, and several western countries to adopt a power-sharing deal or "grand coalition".

"The time for a political settlement was yesterday," Rice said on Monday after visiting Kenya to support Annan's efforts.

Yesterday, Kibaki said he was "willing to work together and share responsibilities in government" with the ODM, but that any deal "must be in tandem with the current Kenyan constitution".

The government's insistence on sticking to the constitution - a colonial-era treaty which all sides agree is long overdue for reform - could block any special new arrangement to accommodate ODM demands for a prime ministerial post.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/feb/20/kenya?gusrc=rss&feed=networkfront


7 - Kenya's opposition threatens mass protests - AP

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Kenya's opposition on Wednesday threatened mass protests within a week if the government fails to start work on changing the constitution to pave the way for any type of power-sharing government.
Parliament must convene within a week to enact constitutional changes that will be needed to restructure the government in a way that will divest some of the power from the presidency, said Anyang Nyongo, secretary-general of the opposition Orange Democratic Movement.

"If that does not happen, ODM hereby gives notice that we call our supporters to mass action within one week," he said.

Another senior party official, Najib Balala, said any such action would be peaceful. However, previous political protests have turned violent and deteriorated into ethnic clashes.

Weeks of violence sparked by the flawed Dec. 27 vote have left more than 1,000 dead and forced some 600,000 to flee their homes.

The threat comes as talks for a potential power-sharing arrangement between President Mwai Kibaki and rival Raila Odinga — who says the presidency was stolen from him — appeared deadlocked.

Nyongo said work on reforming the constitution should start quickly.

"Mr. Kibaki and his Party of National Unity are procrastinating in the mediation talks as if there is no urgency in reaching a political settlement in this country," Nyongo said.

Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2008-02-20-kenya-elections_N.htm


8 - Kenya: Major Rifts As Talks Resume - Nation

The Nation (Nairobi)
20 February 2008
Posted to the web 19 February 2008

Lucas Barasa
Nairobi

Talks to end the political crisis in the country resumed at a slow pace Tuesday with reports of major rifts between PNU and ODM negotiators.

The negotiators failed to agree on a power-sharing or a coalition deal favoured by the international community as the answer to the crisis.

PNU representatives are said to have insisted that ODM should accept that President Kibaki won the elections.

The government side said after this, the President would use his "generosity and mercy" to appoint a number of ODM MPs to the Cabinet.

"ODM must be grateful, start behaving appropriately and know there's a government in Kenya. The party should agree that Kibaki won," a source at the talks quoted a PNU negotiator as having said.

PNU is represented at the crucial peace efforts by Ms Martha Karua, Prof Sam Ongeri, Mr Moses Wetangula and Mr Mutula Kilonzo.

The ODM team is led by Mr Musalia Mudavadi. The other members are MPs William Ruto, Sally Kosgey and James Orengo.

ODM is said to have rejected the PNU's proposals and insisted on power-sharing.
The government stand, it warned, was a threat to the talks and could plunge the country back into violence.

Tough message
ODM reiterated its demands for an executive prime minister and that it takes 50 percent of ministerial slots with the ministries divided equally with PNU. It also demanded all other civil service jobs be distributed proportionally.

The negotiators took a break at 1 pm to consult before re-grouping at 3.30 pm.

The talks were rescheduled last Friday to allow the representatives time to consult their principals.

The dialogue efforts got a boost on Monday following the one-day visit of US Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice who brought President Bush's tough message that both President Kibaki and ODM leader Raila Odinga should reach a speedy power-sharing agreement.

Dr Rice said last year's election results did not reflect the wishes of the majority of Kenyans and that the issue should be addressed through negotiations and goodwill.

http://allafrica.com/stories/200802191784.html

9 - KENYA: "We are all affected" – UN IRIN

NAIROBI, 19 February 2008 (IRIN) - While world attention has focused on the fallout from Kenya's post-election crisis in the country itself, the region, which is highly dependent on the east African state for goods, transport links and services, has felt the effects too.

Before violence erupted after the disputed December 2007 election, Kenya was the region's hub, with many people in neighbouring countries travelling frequently to the capital, Nairobi, for medical treatment, holidays, trade and education.

IRIN spoke to a cross-section of people in Burundi, Rwanda, Somalia, Uganda and Tanzania and Sudan to gauge how the crisis was affecting them: "Most consumables in Rwanda are imported, so delays in delivery from Kenya mean shortages, which translate into price hikes, which of course have an effect on our pockets,” a young Rwandan executive, who requested anonymity, told IRIN. "The sooner Kenya can return to a normal state of affairs, the better for us all in the region."

A retired Burundian diplomat said Burundi had suffered as the country depends on Kenya’s coastal port of Mombasa for most of its imports. "Personally, the irregular Kenya Airways flights are a matter of concern as I can no longer travel to Nairobi as frequently as I want," he said. "A lot of people are being inconvenienced in this way and also prices of imported goods have gone up."

Fuel crisis Uganda, perhaps more than other countries in the region, has felt the impact more acutely, given its landlocked status. “We were severely affected when the fuel trucks couldn't get across the border - prices of petrol went as high as US$7 per litre and so suddenly,” said Caroline Mbote (not her real name), who runs tourist accommodation on an island in southwestern Uganda’s Lake Bunyonyi. "We use diesel to fuel our boats to ferry tourists and goods to and from the island. Because of the high prices of fuel, although it was the high Christmas season, we made very little money,” she said.

Mbote said many Ugandans had children at school in Kenya but were now too afraid to send them back, especially after hearing that some Kenyans were hostile towards Ugandans. "The medical facilities here are far inferior to those in Kenya, so if Kenya is at war or having security issues, it poses a big problem for us in that way as well,” she sad. "Whatever it takes, we all need peace in Kenya for this region to be stable.”

A retired businessman in the Ugandan capital, Kampala, said: "Our President [Yoweri Museveni] has been castigated for quickly endorsing [Kenyan President Mwai] Kibaki's government, but one has to understand where he was coming from. People in southern Uganda have a deep mistrust of leaders from the ethnic Luo communities, whom they associate with the ethnic communities in northern Uganda that produced presidents like [Milton] Obote and [Idi] Amin, who presided over the deaths of close to one million Ugandans between them. "The fear among many in the south here is that a Raila [Odinga] presidency would strengthen ethnic Luos here and also in Southern Sudan, creating a regional Luo powerbase that would threaten the status quo, especially in Uganda," he said. "There is even a fear that it could strengthen the rebel LRA [Lord's Resistance Army] movement."

Somali view A Somali aid worker, who declined to be named, said: "The Kenyan crisis has scared us all. Kenya is the only safe haven for this region and it must be preserved at all costs." He said many aid agencies that cover Somalia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Sudan and other countries in the region were based in Kenya. "What will happen to their work and the people they help? If things get out of hand it will be a disaster not only for Kenya but for the greater sub-region. "As a Somali I am even more affected by the current problem than many others. Kenya has been home to many of us and we love it. I honestly don't even want to think about or contemplate the possibility that they will not find a solution to the problems Kenya is currently facing.

"There has to be a political solution because the alternative of all-out disintegration is too horrible to contemplate. Every day I pray that the politicians will learn from history and from their neighbours and realise that greed and intransigence will lead to doom for them and those they claim to represent. "Look at Somalia - because so-called politicians could not find a common ground, millions of Somalis are refugees in their own country or outside, living miserable lives. Kenya is too good to be lost because a few politicians could not find a compromise. Kenya is the only house in our neighbourhood that is not on fire, let's keep it that way,” he added. Some benefits Mathias ole Kissambu, a Tanzanian economist and businessman based in the northern town of Arusha, said some businesses in the town had benefited from the influx of Kenyans fleeing violence at home, but "the disadvantages far outweigh the advantages such as this".

Kissambu has a son studying at Moi University in Eldoret, a town in Kenya's Rift Valley Province, which bore the brunt of the post-election violence. "I fear for my son's safety when the university re-opens but what do I do? He is in his final year, I am caught in a dilemma, to withdraw him or to put him at risk completing his studies," he said. "I know many Tanzanians who have withdrawn their children from Kenyan primary and secondary schools, what about us with children at university level?"

Regarding business, Kissambu said some sectors, such agriculture, had suffered. "The price of maize, for instance, has gone up here in Tanzania from 20,000 shillings [$20] to 35,000 [$35] per bag since January," he said. "I would have sourced maize for sale here in Arusha from Eldoret but I dare not risk sending a truck on the Kenyan roads any more, it might be burnt or destroyed." Kissambu had spent six years in Kenya and advised the country’s leaders to realise that "Kenyans are Kenyans regardless of their different tribes. Insisting on a president coming from one community should stop because Kenyans are Kenyans; how can one person be accepted by all other tribes except one?" Kissambu opined.

"Look at Tanzania; the current president and the immediate former president come from small communities but they are accepted by all Tanzanians; when in office, they don't favour their tribes, they serve all Tanzanians equally. Kenya should emulate us so that it does not degenerate into a situation like the one in Rwanda a decade ago."

“Kenya must take advice” A Somali businessman, who wished to remain anonymous, told IRIN: "Kenya is sick, very sick today. A sick person cannot choose the type of medications for his/her illness and will depend on the advice of others. The advice of Somalis to Kenya is to listen to all those who are genuinely trying to help." He said Somalis had not had the world attention like Kenya has had, and, "although the current situation in Somalia has no parallel in the world, no one is talking about it.

"The solution to Kenya's problems no longer lies with Kenyans alone and those Kenyan leaders who are dismissing the good advice of others should know that Kenya has been offering solutions to the conflicting parts in Sudan, Somalia and others. Kenya's ruling clique should understand that Kenya will never be the same and major legal and constitutional reforms are absolutely necessary to change the course Kenya is taking now.

"Let's all pray that the leaders will come to their senses and stop the country sliding into the abyss," he said. "Unlike Somalia and Sudan, Kenyans cannot sustain a long drawn-out conflict. If the current mediation efforts fail, Kenya will be much worse than Somalia. More likely it will become another Rwanda and that is something I never want to see." ah/js/kr/mw


Theme(s): (IRIN) Conflict, (IRIN) Early Warning, (IRIN) Economy, (IRIN) Education, (IRIN) Food Security, (IRIN) Human Rights [ENDS]

http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=76828

10 - Offering support to Christians in Kenya - Taize Community (France)

Over the last few days some of the brothers have returned to Nairobi: "Little by little we are making contact again with the city, with the communities and with individuals. We find the same traffic holdups, the matatus (mini buses) with their high noise level, the crowds in the city centre, the dust.... Bit by bit, people are becoming less tense after the stress of these weeks of turmoil that set several regions ablaze. Everybody has their mind on the outcome of the negotiations; some are taking part in emergency aid efforts to help the displaced or in restoring an atmosphere of peace.... This is a key moment for the country because through this trial can come a clearer awareness of each person's responsibility for peace and justice in society. The Churches are present in all this and help people to reflect on what the country has come through. Much remains to be done for many often align themselves on speeches heavily marked by propaganda. So the different points of view are still far apart. In the neighbourhoods, however, as you listen to people, many tell stories of solidarity between people of different tribes and give testimonies of fraternity...."

http://www.taize.fr/en_article5793.html