International Crisis Group (Brussels)
PRESS RELEASE
21 February 2008Posted to the web 21 February 2008
Nairobi
If Kofi Annan’s mediation of Kenya’s still explosive crisis is to succeed, he must not let the parties postpone the tough details of a power-sharing agreement, and he needs continued strong international support.
Kenya in Crisis, the latest report from the International Crisis Group, examines the situation since the contested presidential election results of December 2007 led to the deaths of over 1,000 people and the displacement of some 300,000 others in waves of violence with a serious ethnic character.
African Union-sponsored negotiations between Raila Odinga’s Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) and President Mwai Kibaki’s Party of National Unity (PNU), led by the former UN Secretary-General, have already made progress.
The sides are giving some ground and discussing a transitional arrangement. This could lead to legal and constitutional reforms and a truth, justice and reconciliation commission to assist in healing wounds. But a sustainable settlement must address the particulars of power sharing and economic policies, with targets and timetables, in order to convince the drivers of violence to disarm.
“The mediation cannot afford to delay discussion of the details”, says Gareth Evans, President of Crisis Group. “This is Kenya’s worst political crisis since independence, and unless people see practical results from these talks soon, mass violence could re-erupt”.
Three complementary sets of issues must be addressed at the same time as finalisation of a detailed power-sharing agreement:
The first are the legal and constitutional reforms needed during the transition period, including a complete overhaul of the electoral framework.
The second are the economic policies to be implemented during the transition.
The third are the concrete details of the process to end the violence and to deal with the humanitarian crisis, including the institutional framework and timelines.
Relevant Links
East Africa Conflict, Peace and Security Kenya Peacekeeping and Conflict Resolution
Continued international pressure is critical to achieving these objectives. The conditioning of multilateral and bilateral financial help for a negotiated settlement should be reinforced by actual targeted sanctions against spoilers, including a general travel ban and asset freeze against those who support and organise violence or otherwise block the political process. The prospect of making individuals pariahs can be used to encourage concessions in the negotiations and good faith implementation of an agreement.
“The crisis in Kenya reaches far beyond that country”, says Donald Steinberg, Crisis Group Deputy President. “Kenya is the platform for relief operations in Somalia and Sudan, a regional entrepot for trade and investment, and a key anchor for long-term stabilisation of Rwanda, Uganda and Burundi. The quicker a solution to the crisis is found, the better the prospects will be for the entire region”.
This article was posted at:
http://allafrica.com/stories/200802210859.html
The International Crisis Group organization’s website:
http://www.crisisgroup.org/home/index.cfm?
The full report is available as a PDF file at:
http://allafrica.com/peaceafrica/resources/view/00011471.pdf
TABLE OF CONTENTS
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATIONS
I. INTRODUCTION
II. THE ELECTION CRISIS
A. A TIGHT AND TENSE RACE
1. Coalition building
2. The issues
B. THE RIGGING OF THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION
III. THE SECURITY CRISIS
A. PROTEST AND REPRESSION
B. ESCALATION IN THE RIFT VALLEY
1. The rise of Kalenjin warriors in the North Rift
2. The return of Mungiki
3. Coast Province: the next theatre of violence?
IV. HUMANITARIAN AND ECONOMIC CONSEQUENCES
A. THE HUMANITARIAN CRISIS
B. THE ECONOMIC IMPACT
V. THE SEARCH FOR POLITICAL SOLUTIONS
A. FIRST ATTEMPT AT A POLITICAL SETTLEMENT
B. THE BALANCE OF FORCES
C. ROUND TWO OF THE NEGOTIATIONS
D. REBUILDING THE FOUNDATIONS OF STABILITY AND DEMOCRACY
1. The challenges of a power-sharing agreement
2. Incentives and dividends
3. Costs and punitive measures
VI. CONCLUSION
APPENDICES
A. MAP OF KENYA
B. ABOUT THE INTERNATIONAL CRISIS GROUP
C. CRISIS GROUP REPORTS AND BRIEFINGS ON AFRICA
D. CRISIS GROUP BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Kenya’s religious leaders call for fresh polls
Kenya's Inter-religious Forum update
By JUMA NAMLOLA
Last updated: 2 hours ago
Kenya’s religious leaders have come together to call for a fresh General election as the way out of the current political crisis.
The leaders, who comprised Christians, Muslims and Hindu also want all Electoral Commissioners to resign to pave way for its reconstitution.
Speaking under the auspices of the Inter-Religious Forum, the leaders reiterated their proposal to President Kibaki that wide consultations be made within the political parties regarding appointment of the commissioners to ensure the new body is credible.
“We recommend that the 2007 General Election be annulled, and new elections be held within the shortest time possible,” they said in a statement they issued at Nairobi’s Ufungamano House.
“We recognise that this proposal has immense implications but see great wisdom in taking it as the best option,” the religious leaders said.
In what they termed as Kenya’s tough choices, the leaders raised several concerns regarding the on-going Kofi Annan mediation talks.
The statement was read partly by four different representatives, including the general secretary of the National Council of Churches of Kenya (NCCK) the Rev Canon Peter Karanja, Bishop Boniface Adoyo of the Evangelical Church, Fr John Young Lenssen of the Catholic Church and the Supreme Council of Kenya Muslim (Supkem) director general Abdulatif Shaban.
In their proposal to have fresh elections, the religious leaders also want the dismissal of all returning officers and the vetting of the new ones who would be recruited based on their integrity.
Canon Karanja said although religious leaders have faith in the mediation talks, they sensed a lack of goodwill from both parties.
http://politics.nationmedia.com/inner.asp?pcat=NEWS&cat=TOP&sid=1513
By JUMA NAMLOLA
Last updated: 2 hours ago
Kenya’s religious leaders have come together to call for a fresh General election as the way out of the current political crisis.
The leaders, who comprised Christians, Muslims and Hindu also want all Electoral Commissioners to resign to pave way for its reconstitution.
Speaking under the auspices of the Inter-Religious Forum, the leaders reiterated their proposal to President Kibaki that wide consultations be made within the political parties regarding appointment of the commissioners to ensure the new body is credible.
“We recommend that the 2007 General Election be annulled, and new elections be held within the shortest time possible,” they said in a statement they issued at Nairobi’s Ufungamano House.
“We recognise that this proposal has immense implications but see great wisdom in taking it as the best option,” the religious leaders said.
In what they termed as Kenya’s tough choices, the leaders raised several concerns regarding the on-going Kofi Annan mediation talks.
The statement was read partly by four different representatives, including the general secretary of the National Council of Churches of Kenya (NCCK) the Rev Canon Peter Karanja, Bishop Boniface Adoyo of the Evangelical Church, Fr John Young Lenssen of the Catholic Church and the Supreme Council of Kenya Muslim (Supkem) director general Abdulatif Shaban.
In their proposal to have fresh elections, the religious leaders also want the dismissal of all returning officers and the vetting of the new ones who would be recruited based on their integrity.
Canon Karanja said although religious leaders have faith in the mediation talks, they sensed a lack of goodwill from both parties.
http://politics.nationmedia.com/inner.asp?pcat=NEWS&cat=TOP&sid=1513
Richmond-area Friends and Earlham College event on Feb. 24
Sunday, Feb. 24
5:30 p.m.
Pitch-In Supper and Discussion
+
West Richmond Friends
609 W. Main St.
Richmond, IN
Richmond, IN
+
Donations requested for
Quaker Relief Efforts in Kenya
+
All are welcome--
area Quakers, other churches,
Earlham College, Earlham School of Religion
and Bethany Theological Seminary
+
Kenya has been torn by violence following recent elections with more than 250,000 internal refugees and over 1000 killed. There are 155,000 Quakers in Kenya, more than anywhere else in the world. Quakers, both in Kenya and around the world, are trying to help with both material aid and peace and conflict resolution training.
Richmond Quakers want to do our part! Please join us for a pitch-in supper at next Sunday, February 24th at 5:30 p.m., followed by informational talks by Mary Kay Rehard, Kenyan Quakers, and others with experience in Kenya.
We are asking everyone who comes to make a donation towards our relief fund. At monthly meeting last Sunday, we approved a matching grant from the Outreach fund. Our goal is to raise $1000, to be matched by a maximum of $2,000 from the Outreach fund, so that we can send at least $3000 to Friends United Meeting for Kenya relief. (Additional gifts are welcome, but will not receive matching funds.)
FUM will disperse the money to Quaker groups working “on the ground” in Kenya. Because the situation in Kenya changes almost daily, FUM relies on its staff in Kenya, including Ben and Jody Richmond, to make the decisions about what particular relief efforts to support.
If you can't come to the dinner, you can send a check to West Richmond Friends Meeting, 609 West Main Street, Richmond, IN 47374 earmarked “Kenya Relief”.
For more information, contact:
Josh Brown, West Richmond Friends Pastoral Minister
(765) 962-4485
Flyer for Cincinnati-area Friends events on March 3rd & 9th
Two upcoming events on:
Recent violence in Kenya
and the Quaker response
========================================
The first event:
and the Quaker response
========================================
The first event:
Monday
March 3, 2008
7:00-8:30 p.m.
March 3, 2008
7:00-8:30 p.m.
(near Xavier University, in North Avondale)
Meet David Zarembka and Gladys Kamonya
Working in Kenya with
Meet David Zarembka and Gladys Kamonya
Working in Kenya with
++++++++++++++++++
Also:
Sunday
March 9, 2008
11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
1671 Nagel Road
Anderson Township
Cincinnati, OH, 45254
Meet Patrick Nugent, former Principal, and
Meet Patrick Nugent, former Principal, and
Benson Khamasi, current faculty member, at
Friends Theological College - Kaimosi, Kenya
==================================
==================================
Learn about Kenya’s post-election crisis,
Relief & reconciliation efforts,
and Alternatives to Violence Project expansion in East Africa
Enjoy Kenyan tea
with light refreshments
Childcare will be available
Donations to support
Kenyan peacemaking & relief efforts
will be gratefully received.
Enjoy Kenyan tea
with light refreshments
Childcare will be available
Donations to support
Kenyan peacemaking & relief efforts
will be gratefully received.
+ + +
Even if you can't make it to the events,
you can contribute by clicking here
(earmark your gift "Kenya Relief Fund"):
For more information or directions call
Mary Kay Rehard
(513) 739-4750
All are welcome!
(513) 739-4750
All are welcome!
Kenya's women in white to circle peace talks - 2/21/2008
Kenya's "women in white" to circle peace talks
21 Feb 2008 14:18:06 GMT
By Wangui Kanina
NAIROBI, Feb 21 (Reuters) - Kenyan women wearing white clothes to symbolise peace vowed on Thursday to surround the venue of crisis talks until a solution is found to the east African country's worst turmoil since independence.
Many women and children have been among the victims of post-election violence which has killed at least 1,000 people and forced more then 300,000 from their homes in a country previously seen as one of Africa's most stable.
Cases of rape and sexual violence doubled within days of trouble erupting, according to the United Nations. In refugee camps, traumatised children in makeshift classrooms have been drawing burned houses and beheaded people.
"All of you -- wear your white dresses, carry your food. Tomorrow (Friday) we shall go to peace house," said Violet Mavisi, an activist with the Coalition of Women for Peace and Justice, referring to the Nairobi hotel where talks are ongoing.
"We will circle their cars and make sure that those guys do not come out of there without a peace settlement."
In a possible breakthrough, a government negotiator said on Thursday his team had accepted in principle the creation of a new prime minister's post to accommodate opposition leader Raila Odinga, who says he was robbed of the Dec. 27 vote by fraud.
About 150 of the self-styled "women in white" -- many wearing white scarves and flowing white African robes -- gathered at a Nairobi hotel on Thursday to coordinate plans.
"Just last night, a woman who was displaced gave birth in a police cell, where she had sought refuge," said Rukia Subow, head of Maendelo ya Wanawake (Women's Development) group.
"She is representative of the kind of violence that women are facing in Kenya."
In a statement, the women urged the male-dominated leadership of both government and opposition to ensure a comprehensive political settlement for sustainable peace.
"Kenyan women will accept nothing short of this and we will not relent until there is peace," it said.
Ted Olang, a 53-year-old woman from Odinga's west Kenya homeland, Nyanza, told how a gang burned her home because she backs President Mwai Kibaki.
"I will camp there (Serena) until there is peace," said Olang, who fled Nyanza to take refuge with friends in Nairobi.
"If I was not here I would be an internally displaced person in a camp, and a woman of my stature cannot go there," she said, wearing a green African print dress and gold ornaments.
(Editing by Andrew Cawthorne)
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L21804723.htm
21 Feb 2008 14:18:06 GMT
By Wangui Kanina
NAIROBI, Feb 21 (Reuters) - Kenyan women wearing white clothes to symbolise peace vowed on Thursday to surround the venue of crisis talks until a solution is found to the east African country's worst turmoil since independence.
Many women and children have been among the victims of post-election violence which has killed at least 1,000 people and forced more then 300,000 from their homes in a country previously seen as one of Africa's most stable.
Cases of rape and sexual violence doubled within days of trouble erupting, according to the United Nations. In refugee camps, traumatised children in makeshift classrooms have been drawing burned houses and beheaded people.
"All of you -- wear your white dresses, carry your food. Tomorrow (Friday) we shall go to peace house," said Violet Mavisi, an activist with the Coalition of Women for Peace and Justice, referring to the Nairobi hotel where talks are ongoing.
"We will circle their cars and make sure that those guys do not come out of there without a peace settlement."
In a possible breakthrough, a government negotiator said on Thursday his team had accepted in principle the creation of a new prime minister's post to accommodate opposition leader Raila Odinga, who says he was robbed of the Dec. 27 vote by fraud.
About 150 of the self-styled "women in white" -- many wearing white scarves and flowing white African robes -- gathered at a Nairobi hotel on Thursday to coordinate plans.
"Just last night, a woman who was displaced gave birth in a police cell, where she had sought refuge," said Rukia Subow, head of Maendelo ya Wanawake (Women's Development) group.
"She is representative of the kind of violence that women are facing in Kenya."
In a statement, the women urged the male-dominated leadership of both government and opposition to ensure a comprehensive political settlement for sustainable peace.
"Kenyan women will accept nothing short of this and we will not relent until there is peace," it said.
Ted Olang, a 53-year-old woman from Odinga's west Kenya homeland, Nyanza, told how a gang burned her home because she backs President Mwai Kibaki.
"I will camp there (Serena) until there is peace," said Olang, who fled Nyanza to take refuge with friends in Nairobi.
"If I was not here I would be an internally displaced person in a camp, and a woman of my stature cannot go there," she said, wearing a green African print dress and gold ornaments.
(Editing by Andrew Cawthorne)
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L21804723.htm
FACTBOX: What's next in Kenya's post-election crisis? - Reuters 2/21/2008
Reuters Factbox
Thu Feb 21, 2008 4:39am EST
(Reuters) - Kenya's government has agreed in principle to creation of a prime minister's post sought by the opposition, but the terms and duties are still being discussed.
Negotiations to resolve Kenya's post-election crisis, in which more than 1,000 people have been killed, are dragging on, with former U.N. head Kofi Annan leading the mediation team.
Below are some facts on the talks and what could happen:
WHAT'S NEXT?
* The international community and Kenya's opposition are pressing for power-sharing -- a grand coalition, in Annan's words. Power rests wholly with the president in the east African country, though there have been coalition governments in recent years. The ODM has backed off its demand that Kibaki step down but wants a new, powerful prime minister's post for Odinga plus ministerial positions for its people. The government had said the current constitution must be followed, which has no provision for a PM. But on Thursday, it said it was considering an interim PM post that would last until parliament was dissolved or a new constitution enacted.
* The focus of any deal will almost surely involve changes to the 45-year-old constitution. The ODM defeated a 2005 re-drafting backed by Kibaki, saying it did not do enough to reduce the president's vast powers and introduce checks and balances.
* In one sign the government is ready to tackle constitutional changes, three of its four negotiators are among the cream of Kenya's legal fraternity -- Foreign Minister Moses Wetangula, Justice Minister Martha Karua and Mutula Kilonzo. Kilonzo was the legal mastermind behind the opposition's defeat of Kibaki's new constitution in 2005. The ODM also has a formidable legal mind on its team, James Orengo -- one of the activists who fought for the return of multi-party democracy in the early 1990s.
* Some fear the talks will fail and Kenya will fall back into bloody protests and spiraling ethnic violence, further damaging the economy and leading to a flight by investors and the many foreign organizations based in Nairobi.
* The opposition, using its only real leverage, renewed threats this week of more street protests if its demands are not met. Annan has again reminded both sides of their pledge not to make provocative, public statements.
WHO'S TRYING TO HELP?
Former U.N. Secretary-General Annan is leading the mediation, with wide backing from the international community including the USA, former colonial ruler Britain and the EU. The 69-year-old Ghanaian is joined by former Tanzanian President Benjamin Mkapa and Graca Machel, wife of Nelson Mandela.
Many foreign luminaries including African presidents, Archbishop Desmond Tutu and U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice have been to Kenya to try to mediate or to support Annan.
(Writing by Bryson Hull in Nairobi)
For special coverage from Reuters Africa Web site see:
http://africa.reuters.com/elections/kenya/
© Reuters 2007. All rights reserved.
http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSL2191377520080221
Thu Feb 21, 2008 4:39am EST
(Reuters) - Kenya's government has agreed in principle to creation of a prime minister's post sought by the opposition, but the terms and duties are still being discussed.
Negotiations to resolve Kenya's post-election crisis, in which more than 1,000 people have been killed, are dragging on, with former U.N. head Kofi Annan leading the mediation team.
Below are some facts on the talks and what could happen:
WHAT'S NEXT?
* The international community and Kenya's opposition are pressing for power-sharing -- a grand coalition, in Annan's words. Power rests wholly with the president in the east African country, though there have been coalition governments in recent years. The ODM has backed off its demand that Kibaki step down but wants a new, powerful prime minister's post for Odinga plus ministerial positions for its people. The government had said the current constitution must be followed, which has no provision for a PM. But on Thursday, it said it was considering an interim PM post that would last until parliament was dissolved or a new constitution enacted.
* The focus of any deal will almost surely involve changes to the 45-year-old constitution. The ODM defeated a 2005 re-drafting backed by Kibaki, saying it did not do enough to reduce the president's vast powers and introduce checks and balances.
* In one sign the government is ready to tackle constitutional changes, three of its four negotiators are among the cream of Kenya's legal fraternity -- Foreign Minister Moses Wetangula, Justice Minister Martha Karua and Mutula Kilonzo. Kilonzo was the legal mastermind behind the opposition's defeat of Kibaki's new constitution in 2005. The ODM also has a formidable legal mind on its team, James Orengo -- one of the activists who fought for the return of multi-party democracy in the early 1990s.
* Some fear the talks will fail and Kenya will fall back into bloody protests and spiraling ethnic violence, further damaging the economy and leading to a flight by investors and the many foreign organizations based in Nairobi.
* The opposition, using its only real leverage, renewed threats this week of more street protests if its demands are not met. Annan has again reminded both sides of their pledge not to make provocative, public statements.
WHO'S TRYING TO HELP?
Former U.N. Secretary-General Annan is leading the mediation, with wide backing from the international community including the USA, former colonial ruler Britain and the EU. The 69-year-old Ghanaian is joined by former Tanzanian President Benjamin Mkapa and Graca Machel, wife of Nelson Mandela.
Many foreign luminaries including African presidents, Archbishop Desmond Tutu and U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice have been to Kenya to try to mediate or to support Annan.
(Writing by Bryson Hull in Nairobi)
For special coverage from Reuters Africa Web site see:
http://africa.reuters.com/elections/kenya/
© Reuters 2007. All rights reserved.
http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSL2191377520080221
Today's Headlines - Thurs 2/21/2008
1 - Kenya government agrees in principle to PM post – Reuters
2 - PNU/ODM ‘largely agree’ Govt structure - Nation
3 - ODM threatens mass action over talks – Nation
4 - Annan hails Kenya talks progress - BBC
5 - Kenyan rivals debate power sharing amid new troubles - AFP
6 - Kenya: Citizens for Truth Commission But Say Delink It From Politicians
7 - Kenya: Two Suspects in MP's Killing Arrested - Nation
More headlines follow from Google News Alerts - Kenya
1 - Kenya government agrees in principle to PM post
2 - PNU/ODM ‘largely agree’ Govt structure - Nation
3 - ODM threatens mass action over talks – Nation
4 - Annan hails Kenya talks progress - BBC
5 - Kenyan rivals debate power sharing amid new troubles - AFP
6 - Kenya: Citizens for Truth Commission But Say Delink It From Politicians
7 - Kenya: Two Suspects in MP's Killing Arrested - Nation
More headlines follow from Google News Alerts - Kenya
1 - Kenya government agrees in principle to PM post
Thu Feb 21, 2008 9:06am EST
By Duncan Miriri and C. Bryson Hull
NAIROBI (Reuters) - Kenya's government said on Thursday it agreed in principle to creating a prime minister's post demanded by the opposition, a possible breakthrough in a political crisis some worry could explode into violence again.
Local and international pressure has grown for a deal to end the standoff over President Mwai Kibaki's disputed re-election on December 27. The opposition has threatened to resume street protests next week if its demands are not met.
Though the east African nation has been relatively calm for the last two weeks, the protest threat stoked fears of a resumption of the post-poll violence that killed at least 1,000 people and forced more than 300,000 out of their homes.
The unrest has damaged Kenya's reputation as a trade and tourism hub and one of Africa's most stable nations, usually the host of peace talks rather than the subject of them.
The African Union's new chairman, Jean Ping, flew into Kenya on Thursday to add his diplomatic weight to the crisis talks led by the former U.N. secretary general, Kofi Annan.
"I'm beginning to see light at the end of the tunnel," Annan said in a statement after talks on Thursday.
Both teams were to meet with their leaders on "a joint proposal that had been largely agreed on the governance structure" before returning on Friday, the statement said.
Government negotiator Mutula Kilonzo earlier said the creation of a prime minister's post was the focus.
"That is more or less agreed on. What we are discussing now is the post's functions, responsibilities, nature of appointment and so on," he told Reuters. "This will be an interim measure."
'YOU'RE A DEMI-GOD'
Opposition leader Raila Odinga would be almost sure to take the post. He says Kibaki in the past reneged on a pledge to give him such a post in exchange for support at the 2002 election.
Asked if the job would have executive powers, Kilonzo said: "We will not give anybody a hollow shell."
The opposition has demanded the post, wanting it to have real power, and a 50-50 split in cabinet jobs including what it views as top-tier ministries like finance and internal security.
A senior opposition official said there were two potential forms of the prime minister job being discussed.
"One of them is some sort of chief minister ... or there is a head of government who is answerable to parliament. You have a real separation of powers," the official said.
Kilonzo said the interim post would come with a sunset clause that causes the position to expire either when parliament is dissolved or when a new constitution is enacted.
He said he expected the discussions over a political deal to be finished "at the very latest by the weekend."
Both sides have agreed on the need for changes to Kenya's 45-year-old constitution, which many criticize because nearly all the powers rest with the president.
"You're a demi-god. It allows impunity. You can appoint anyone, everyone, you can sack people at will, appoint your relatives," former anti-graft adviser John Githongo, a government critic, said at a speech in London on Wednesday.
The crisis laid bare issues of land, ethnicity, wealth and power that have dogged Kenya since the British colonial era, and have been habitually exploited by politicians over the decades.
The International Crisis Group think-tank, in a new report on Thursday, warned people not to be fooled by the relative calm in Kenya. "The situation remains highly volatile ... Armed groups are still mobilizing on both sides," it said.
(Additional reporting by Jack Kimball and Andrew Cawthorne, editing by Andrew Cawthorne)
© Reuters 2007. All rights reserved.
NEWS
2 - PNU/ODM ‘largely agree’ Govt structure - Nation
Story by LUCAS BARASA in Nairobi and KEVIN J. KELLEY in New York
Publication Date: 2/21/2008
Hopes of Kenya’s political rivals reaching a deal to end the country’s crisis heightened today with chief mediator Kofi Annan announcing that there was “finally light at the end of the tunnel”.
A statement from Mr Annan’s office said the parties had “largely agreed” the structure of a coalition government.
At the same time, the US offered an optimistic assessment of the status of talks between President Kibaki’s Party of National Unity and Mr Raila Odinga’s Orange Democratic Party.
"We have seen progress made through [former UN secretary general] Kofi Annan's efforts, working with the parties," State Department spokesman Tom Casey told reporters in Washington. "They do have an overall framework agreement."
Mr Casey suggested patience is needed as the two sides try to finalise an accord.
"Sometimes the most difficult part of the process is having the details of some kind of a broader government and the organisation of it, who gets what ministries and all that, sometimes takes a while to work out," he said.
But the US left no doubt that it expects a deal to be reached soon to end the violence and instability that have plagued Kenya for nearly two months.
“We certainly look forward to see an agreement reached among the parties in the next few days," Mr Casey said.
In Nairobi, Mr Annan said: “I’m beginning to see light at the end of the tunnel."
A negotiator for the Government side, Mr Mutula Kilonzo, told reporters the two sides had reached a “balanced agreement” that could be sealed tomorrow or before the end of the week to provide short term solutions to problems in the country.
Mr Kilonzo said although the negotiators who burnt the midnight oil on Wednesday to complete discussion on how to address the disputed presidential election had settled on a balanced agreement, not everybody will support it.
"The agreement spreads the government to other parties," he said.
"We are now going to consult our parties and principals. We will finish that agenda tomorrow," said the Mbooni MP.
On his part, Mr Annan, in a statement through spokesman Ega-Musa Nasser, said that the talks were suspended to allow the negotiating teams time to consult with their constituents on the draft joint proposal.
"The Legal Working Group will meet tomorrow morning at 8.30am to try and conclude their work, and then will report to the full negotiating team at its 15th session beginning at 10 am," Mr Annan said.
Mr Annan quoted facilitator Hans Corell from Sweden as saying considerable progress had been made in the legal working group.
The group, the statement said, had outlined a joint proposal that had been largely agreed on the governance structure, the only outstanding issue under Agenda Item 3 (How to overcome the current political crisis).
NEWS
3 - ODM threatens mass action over talks - Nation
Story by CAROLINE WAFULA
Publication Date: 2/21/2008
Orange Democratic Movement Wednesday threatened mass action if Parliament is not summoned in a week to enact necessary constitutional changes to pave the way for implementation of its proposals to end the stalemate.
The party accused rival PNU of deliberately delaying the mediation talks.
In a statement issued after a parliamentary group meeting (PGM) at the Old Chambers of Parliament, ODM said PNU’s insistence that proposals be within the confines of the Constitution was meant to frustrate the ongoing talks.
ODM Pentagon member Najib Balala said ODM was becoming impatient. “We have been patient as ODM from the extreme position to a middle ground.
But we are tired of delays and excuses that a political settlement could not be reached,” he said.
Wednesday’s meeting, attended by 45 party MPs, was chaired by Mr Balala and party secretary-general Anyang Nyong’o.
The meeting comes a day after President Kibaki said he was ready to work and share Government responsibilities with ODM, but within the current Constitution.
He also proposed a comprehensive constitutional review within 12 months. The President said a solution should be in tandem with the existing Constitution while a new one was being written.
And in a swift reaction, head of the mediation talks Mr Kofi Annan Wednesday issued a stern warning to ODM and PNU leaders to stop making statements that could interfere with the negotiations.
The former UN Secretary General also directed his staff to monitor the media and report to him any statements issued to the press by either party.
Mr Annan’s statement came just hours after ODM threat of mass protests.
PNU politicians have also issued various statements regarding the talks and criticised proposals by Mr Annan and the international community on the formation of a grand coalition to end the crisis.
Delicate negotiation
On Wednesday Mr Annan in a statement through UN official Musa Nasser said both PNU and ODM politicians should refrain from making statements that could jeopardise the discussions.
“The chair once again appeals to both sides to refrain from making public statements or using rhetoric that can complicate already delicate negotiation,” said Mr Annan.
The chief mediator however said the talks were progressing well despite the discouraging reports by ODM and PNU.
He said: “The chair wishes to assure the public that the talks are going on well and we are on track.”
But Wednesday, Mr Balala accused PNU of arrogance. “They don’t believe this country has a crisis. They are not in a hurry. They want to rule and steal what they have lost in 24 years,” he said.
The Mvita MP added: “We are being pressured by our people; if the negotiations are not working, then we change the terms of reference of the negotiations to discuss boundaries then we reduce them to an island like Lesotho.”
Mr Balala said the PGM resolved to give the mediation team one week to see whether anything concrete will come out. They plan to meet again on Wednesday to prepare for mass action at the end of next week.
“They think ODM is desperate to get into Government. No, ODM is only desperate to give Kenyans the dream of effective equitable distribution of resources and devolution of power... this is not about Mr (Raila) Odinga and President Kibaki,” he said.
Prof Nyong’o accused PNU of procrastination and ignoring the urgency of arriving at a solution.
“They are pretending that there is a legitimate government even though this is one of the issues at stake. We are impatient and MPs are tired. We have tried to be decent enough to keep quiet to give the talks a chance but we realise that we have no serious partners in PNU,” he said.
Said Mr Balala; “We thought the pressure from the international community would be able to make President Kibaki and his team to be flexible and come to a middle ground but it seems mass action is the only thing they can listen to. We shall therefore revive the power of the people.”
ODM said the insistence by PNU leadership that the mediation proposals must be made only within the confines of the present Constitution was a deliberate strategy to delay decisions at the talks.
The party has, however, appealed to Kenyans to stay steadfast and support the Kofi Annan-led mediation talks.
15-day deadline
The mediation talks started on January 29 following the disputed outcome of last year’s Presidential election results.
Mr Annan had set a 15-day deadline for the negotiators to come up with short-term solutions to the crisis in the country. Anxiety has been mounting both locally and internationally over the delay by ODM and PNU to strike a deal to end the problem.
Additional reporting by Lucas Barasa
4 - Annan hails Kenya talks progress - BBC
Ex-UN chief Kofi Annan has announced considerable progress in talks between Kenya's government and opposition aimed at ending the political crisis.
Talks have been adjourned until Friday, as negotiators consult on a compromise which the BBC's Adam Mynott in Nairobi says has been largely agreed upon.
The deal is understood to involve the creation of a prime minister's post which would be held by the opposition. Some 1,000 people have died in violence since disputed elections in December.
The opposition alleges the poll was rigged. "I am beginning to see light at the end of the tunnel," Mr Annan said after negotiators from President Mwai Kibaki's government and the opposition Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) adjourned their talks on Thursday.
The negotiators are expected to report back with a possible final deal to be signed on Friday. None of the details has been confirmed by Kofi Annan's team, and there have been a number of occasions in the past three weeks when a deal looked close but then disappeared, our correspondent says.
The current uneasy calm in Kenya should not be misunderstood as a return to normalcy--International Crisis Group report
The rivals have agreed in principle on a grand coalition as a solution to the crisis, but discussions had reached deadlock over how it would work in practice.
The creation of a post of prime minister - which does not exist under the current constitution - was one of the opposition's demands.
Najib Balal, a senior ODM member, told the BBC on Thursday that the opposition would be prepared to accept the post of prime minister provided it carried the necessary authority and power.
Earlier this week, the opposition warned it would launch new mass protests in a week's time if the talks did not break the political deadlock.
Hundreds of thousands of people have been displaced during the ethnic and political violence that broke out after President Kibaki was declared the winner of December's presidential election.
The opposition alleges widespread rigging, and international observers said the poll was flawed.
'Serious obstacles'
The development came as an international think tank warned that further violence could erupt unless a solution to Kenya's political crisis were found urgently.
The International Crisis Group (ICG) said armed groups on both the opposition and government sides were being mobilised for fresh attacks.
The ICG report called for legal, electoral and constitutional reforms and for aid to be conditional on a peaceful result.
The report warned "serious obstacles" to peace remained.
In a BBC interview, the ICG's Donald Steinberg also warned against reaching a short-term political deal without addressing long-term issues.
He said that at the root of the violence were the tribal divide-and-rule policies of Kenya's previous ruler, Daniel arap Moi, which had not been addressed under Mr Kibaki.
"The current uneasy calm in Kenya should not be misunderstood as a return to normalcy," said the report.
The report noted that as Kenya is a platform for relief operations in Somalia and Sudan, a haven for many refugees from the region, and a vital trade hub, failure to resolve the crisis would have "severe consequences" for the whole of east Africa and beyond.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/africa/7256216.stm Published: 2008/02/21 11:11:42 GMT © BBC MMVIII
5 - Kenyan rivals debate power sharing amid new troubles - AFP
1 hour ago
NAIROBI (AFP) — Kenya's feuding political leaders on Thursday haggled over a power-sharing deal that could see the opposition given a special prime minister's post, amid new violence in Nairobi.
A man was hacked to death in a slum district and police fired live rounds to disperse residents fighting against eviction from the shanty.
African Union Commission chief Jean Ping arrived for a two-day visit to push for a quick deal, a foreign ministry official said as representatives of President Mwai Kibaki and opposition leader Raila Odinga pursued talks mediated by former UN chief Kofi Annan.
Government negotiator Mutula Kilonzo said the two sides had agreed to create a post of "a non-executive prime minister but with substantial responsibilities."
"We have agreed on the post, but we all know the devil is in the detail. The deal will have to be brought to the whole negotiating committee," another negotiator added.
The United States and other international bodies have pushed for a swift power-sharing accord but Kibaki has insisted it must be within he Kenyan constitution.
Annan is leading African Union-sponsored mediation efforts after Odinga accused Kibaki of rigging the December 27 presidential election.
More than 1,000 people have been killed and 300,000 displaced in unrest since then. International poll monitors have also said there were irregularities in the vote.
On Wednesday, Odinga's Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) vowed fresh protests if parliament fails to meet within one week to debate constitutional changes.
The ODM accuses the government of using the current constitution to block the talks. Attempts by ODM supporters to protest last month ended in a police crackdown, which drew howls of condemnation from the rights groups.
The Brussels-based International Crisis Group warned Wednesday that hardliners from both camps were preparing fresh hostilities and urged targeted sanctions against the East African nation to head off further violence.
"Serious obstacles remain however. Armed groups are still mobilising on both camps," the panel said in a new report titled: "Kenya in crisis."
"Extremists and militia are preparing for new confrontation on both camps and ODM believes that if international mediation fails, its only protection against repression and hope for a settlement will be its capacity to raise the stakes through violence," the report added.
A man was hacked to death and four others wounded in a crowded Nairobi slum as police battled residents resisting eviction orders for non-payment of rent, police said. Police fired live round to disperse Nairobi's Ngomongo slums residents, who responded by throwing stones and barricading roads to protest the eviction operation in the middle of the night.
"This man was hacked to death in the morning," police commander Tom Mboya told reporters at the scene where dismembered remains of the man lay.
But residents, who razed a local government office, defended the renewed slum clashes. "We are bitter because they (landlords) are claiming that we do not pay rent, that is why we burnt the chief's office," said John Odero, a Ngomongo resident.
Police say Odinga's supporters have refused to pay rent in the shantytowns since the disputed polls.
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.
6 - Kenya: Citizens for Truth Commission But Say Delink It From Politicians
The Nation (Nairobi)
21 February 2008Posted to the web 21 February 2008
Oliver MathengeNairobi
Members of the public Wednesday differed on whether Kenya was in need of a truth and reconciliation commission following violence triggered by last year's disputed presidential poll results.
A public debate organised by the Kenyan chapter of the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) drew varied responses on whether such a commission should be put in place. The debate at the Aga Khan Walk in Nairobi sought views from members of the public and "Bunge la Wananchi Parliamentarians". Most of the participants were however in agreement that justice must prevail in the country if Kenyans are to coexist.
On power-sharing, which also dominated the debate, participants felt that it was the only way forward for Kenyans to be able to work together.
Preferred candidates
There was however caution among some of the participants that the commission should not be constituted on the basis of last year's poll results.
"Formation of the commission and any reforms that we want should not be done just because our preferred candidates were declared winners or not in last year's elections," said Mr Wilberforce Onyango, a participant. Mr Onyango says civic education should also be given priority.
Another participant, Mr Mark Korir says all previous governments had helped propel injustices in the country. He says colonial masters and the governments that followed propagated the land issues that are at the centre of conflict in the Rift Valley. The province witnessed the highest number of deaths and displacements in the country over the period the post-election violence occurred in the country.
Declared winner
Mr Salim Ganga, a participant, told the forum that the commission was necessary but unlike the mediation process it must focus on those at the grassroots. He said Kenyans must have a say on who sits in the commission if truth, justice and reconciliation are to be achieved.
Mr Patrick Wambugu agreeing with him said that politicians could not be trusted with the setting up and running of such a commission because they had failed in the ongoing mediation talks. The ICJ is in support of formation of such a commission saying it would help bring peace and healing in Kenya, where nearly 1,000 people have been killed and 300,000 others displaced in violence after President Kibaki was declared winner of the General Election.
A programme officer with ICJ, Ms Priscilla Nyokabi, said Kenyans should determine the membership of such as a commission before it is set up and issues it should address.
7 - Kenya: Two Suspects in MP's Killing Arrested - Nation
The Nation (Nairobi)
21 February 2008Posted to the web 21 February 2008
Nairobi
Two people who police believe were part of a gang that killed Embakasi MP Mugabe Were have been arrested. Police commissioner Hussein Ali said detectives investigating the January 29 killing seized the "prime suspect and an accomplice" Wednesday.
However, he said the investigators were yet to establish the motive behind the murder. "It's too early to tell but we do not want to speculate, especially for the purpose of going to court," Maj-Gen Ali said. The latest suspects were tracked by detectives who have been looking for them in Nairobi. The detectives are still looking for the killer weapon, thought to be a pistol.
Mr Were was shot dead at around 12.30am outside his home at the city's Woodley Estate, barely two weeks after he had been sworn in as MP.
Hours later
Three people - two men and a woman - were arrested hours later but were released on Monday last week, just hours before the mandatory 14 days of prosecution elapsed. The law prohibits the police investigating capital offences from holding any person beyond this period unless with the authority of the court. Detectives could not take them to court after establishing that they were not part of the killer gang.
The three were among 15 people who had their accounts recorded by the police. Others include the MP's relatives and attendants at a city restaurant where he was spotted having drinks about an hour before he was shot dead.
Police have not ruled out a political motive in the killing.
=========================
Google News Alert for: Kenya
2/21/08 - 4:00 a.m.
Kenya government agrees in principle to PM post
Malaysia Star - Malaysia
By Duncan Miriri and C. Bryson Hull NAIROBI
(Reuters) - Kenya's government said on Thursday it agreed in principle to creating a prime minister's post ...
See all stories on this topic
Kenya Expects Political Deal by Friday
The Associated Press - NAIROBI, Kenya
(AP) — A political deal to end Kenya's deadly postelection crisis is expected by Friday, a top negotiator for Kenya's government said ...
See all stories on this topic
Kenya: Don Says Poll Bankrollers Demand Their Pound of Flesh
AllAfrica.com - Washington,USA
A university lecturer Wednesday claimed that shadowy individuals and organisations were controlling politics in Kenya. Dr Charles Otieno said these ...
See all stories on this topic
Kenya Negotiator: Deal to End Deadly Political Crisis Expected by ...
ABC News - USA
A Kikuyu man is attacked by rioters in the Mathare slum, Nairobi, Kenya, Wednesday, Feb. 20, 2008. Rioters attacked a bus full of people as they faced off ...
See all stories on this topic
Google News Alert for: Kenya
2/21/08 - 12:00 a.m.
Opposition in Kenya Threatens More Protests
New York Times - United States
By JEFFREY GETTLEMAN NAIROBI, Kenya — Kenya's leading opposition party on Wednesday accused the government of stonewalling in negotiations to resolve the ...
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Kenya warned against fresh clashes
NDTV.com - New Delhi,India
Hardliners in Kenya are girding for fresh hostilities, a policy panel warned on Thursday, urging the world to impose targeted sanctions to save the east ...
See all stories on this topic
Google News Alert for: Kenya
2/20/08 - 9:30 p.m.
Ex-corruption fighter urges reform in Kenya
Reuters South Africa - Johannesburg,South Africa
John Githongo, who quit as Kenya's first anti-corruption adviser in 2005 and later blew the whistle on one of Kenya's biggest graft scandals, ...
See all stories on this topic
Kenya 'at risk of fresh violence'
BBC News - UK
Further violence could erupt in Kenya unless a solution to the country's political crisis is found urgently, an international think tank has warned. ...
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New Kenya riot as 80 held over unpaid rent
Scotsman - United Kingdom
By TOM ODULA
FRESH riots broke out in Kenya yesterday as angry slum residents confronted police amid claims that they were unfairly arresting people over ...
See all stories on this topic
Kenya: Supply Shortage Raises Producer Milk Prices in Central
AllAfrica.com - Washington,USAA 500 grams packet of milk is retailing at Sh40 in Western Kenya up from Sh15 late last year. The surge in prices is expected to push up overall 12-month ...
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Kenya: Barclays Profit Minting Machine Under Spotlight
AllAfrica.com - Washington,USA
For five years Adan Mohamed was just happy to run Kenya's biggest bank at an even pace in the traditional British style - where Barclays Bank Kenya draws ...
See all stories on this topic
Google News Alert for: Kenya
2/20/08 - 6:00 p.m.
Kenya: Talks Facing Uncertainty
AllAfrica.com - Washington,USA
Bush has himself followed up Rice's visit to Kenya with an even more telling reminder when he spoke of early warning signs of a major conflict and the need ...
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Kenya: CBK Steps in Yet Again to Stabilise Shaky Shilling
AllAfrica.com - Washington,USA
The fact that Kenya is essentially an import economy, has pushed higher the demand for dollars, compelling importers to pay more shillings for every ...
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Kenya: What's Behind the Conflict?
AllAfrica.com - Washington,USA
Since the crisis in Kenya erupted six weeks ago there has been a lot of handwringing about the threatened collapse of a haven of "stability" in Africa. ...
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Kenya: China Has Proved It's Not a Friend to Count On
AllAfrica.com - Washington,USA
Outsiders - only in the literal sense since the world is now a global village - got embedded in the Kenya tragedy after ballots became bullets. ...
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Kenya: Refinery - Let Fairness Prevail
AllAfrica.com - Washington,USA
Revelations yesterday that plans to upgrade Kenya's only refinery may be delayed due to a tussle over who should buy the shares from three exiting partners ...
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Kenya: Pump Costs to Push Up Petroleum Prices Again
AllAfrica.com - Washington,USA
The frantic calibration efforts came as motorists in the Northern Kenya town of Lokichogio started paying Sh102 per litre of premium petrol, ...
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Kenya: Petroholdings Sells Its Shares in Kenol to Foreign Investor
AllAfrica.com - Washington,USA
Oil marketer Kenya Oil Company (Kenol) saw its main shareholder, Petroholding Limited, sell off part of its holding to a foreign investor in order to come ...
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Kenya: SkyTeam Offers Passengers Seamless Connection in London
AllAfrica.com - Washington,USA
Beginning next month, passengers using the national flag carrier, Kenya Airways, to London will share facilities at the terminal that is due to be renovated ...
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Kenya: Dream Holidays Beckon With Reduced Air Fares
AllAfrica.com - Washington,USA
These new prices to Mumbai and Johannesburg were unveiled by the national carrier, Kenya Airways, as it grapples with declining passengers.
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This as-it-happens Google Alert is brought to you by Google.
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
AGLI supported by "Thrifty" Friends in VA
From AGLI - African Great Lakes Initiative:
Midlothian Friends Meeting (Midlothian, VA) has a resale shop called the Thrifty Quaker. Each month they select a charity to receive the proceeds from sales.
This March, AGLI is the recipient, and the funds will promote peacebuilding, relief, trauma healing and reconciliation efforts in East Africa (Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania) and the Great Lakes region of Africa (Burundi, Rwanda, Congo).
This is a great way to reduce your consumer spending, find useful items, and support a worthy cause--all at one go! Good for you, good for the earth, and good for others in need!
The store is at 13567 Midlothian Turnpike, Midlothian, Virginia 23113.
Post your ideas for helping bring peace in Kenya by commenting here.
Midlothian Friends Meeting (Midlothian, VA) has a resale shop called the Thrifty Quaker. Each month they select a charity to receive the proceeds from sales.
This March, AGLI is the recipient, and the funds will promote peacebuilding, relief, trauma healing and reconciliation efforts in East Africa (Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania) and the Great Lakes region of Africa (Burundi, Rwanda, Congo).
This is a great way to reduce your consumer spending, find useful items, and support a worthy cause--all at one go! Good for you, good for the earth, and good for others in need!
The store is at 13567 Midlothian Turnpike, Midlothian, Virginia 23113.
Post your ideas for helping bring peace in Kenya by commenting here.
AGLI news - Coordinator Dave Zarembka to speak in US
David Zarembka & Gladys Kumonya, of AGLI - African Great Lakes Initiative, will be traveling in the US in coming weeks. AGLI's focus is on peacebuilding, trauma healing and reconciliation work in the Great Lakes region and East Africa.
Arrive in DC Feb 29, 7:20 AM
Sunday, March 2 - William Penn House, DC--6:30 potluck
515 East Capitol Street, SE Washington, D.C. 20003
Phone (202) 543-5560
Monday, March 3 - Cincinnati, Ohio - 7 - 8:30 pm
Community Friends Meeting
3960 Winding Way Cincinnati, OH 45229-1950
(513) 861-4353
http://www.quaker.org/ovym/com.htm
Saturday, March 8 - Portland, Oregon (evening)
Multnomah Meeting
4312 S.E. Stark Street Portland, Oregon 97215
(503) 232-2822
http://www.multnomahfriends.org/stark_street.html
Monday, March 10 --St Louis, Missouri - Light repast 6:15 / Presentation 7 - 8:30 pm
St. Louis Friends Meeting
1001 Park Avenue St. Louis, MO 63104
(for info call Dawn at 314-647-1287)
http://www.stlouisfriends.org/
Thursday, March 13 - Wilmington, Delaware 7 pm
Westminster Presbyterian Church
1502 West 13th Street Wilmington, DE 19806
(303) 654-5706
Rt. 52/Delaware Ave. at 13th / free parking beside the church
Friday March 14 (day) - Wilmington Friends School (individual classes)
8 - 11 am
Friday, March 14 (evening) - Haddonfield, NJ - 7 pm
Haddonfield Friends Meeting Friends Avenue & Lake Street
(One block west of Kings Highway)
Haddonfield, NJ 08033
856-428-6242
http://www.pym.org/haddonfield-qm/haddonfieldmm/index.htm
Saturday, March 15, - Haverford, PA - Noon to 3:00 pm
Lunch with David Zarembka - Presentation/discussion afterward
Haverford Friends Meeting 855 Buck Lane Haverford, PA 19041
http://www.haverfordfriendsmeeting.org/
Sunday, March 16 - Bethesda, Maryland - 12:30 pm
Bethesda Friends Meeting 7415 Beverly Rd Bethesda, MD 20814
(301) 986-8681
http://www.bethesdafriends.org/
Monday, March 17—New York City, (tentative)
Tuesday, March 18—New York City, (QUNO), Tentative
Wednesday, March 19—Leave for Kenya
Friday--March 21—arrive in Kenya
Contact AGLI if you are interested in inviting the Zarembkas to visit your meeting or church.
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
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
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