Healing a nation

NAIROBI (AFP) — Kenya's President Mwai Kibaki and opposition chief Raila Odinga on Tuesday agreed to unite and heal the nation that was nearly destroyed by deadly post-election violence, the presidency said.

The pair held talks in the president's downtown office for the first time since last Thursday's signing of a power-sharing accord that ended two months of bloody turmoil.

They "agreed to work together towards uniting all Kenyans and accelerating the healing process by holding meetings with different communities with a view to ensuring that wananchi (citizens) live together peacefully," Kibaki's office said in a statement.

  Under the accord, which has been welcomed by Kenyans after post-electoral bloodshed, Odinga is set to become the east African country's prime minister, once parliament passes the power-sharing deal into law.

Odinga's claim that Kibaki stole a December 27 presidential poll touched off widespread violence that took on a tribal nature, claimed at least 1,500 lives and displaced hundreds of thousands of people.

The two leaders "agreed to ensure that the agreement they signed last week is implemented fully for the benefit of all Kenyans" and also "discussed how their two parties will relate and work together in the coalition government," the statement added.

In Geneva, United Nations chief Ban Ki-moon pressed the Kenyan leaders to implement the accord, mediated by his predecessor Kofi Annan.

"His role has brought not only peace and stability in Kenya but also the whole region," he said.

"We need to continue to be engaged in the process," Ban added, saying that the UN will "fully stand behind" Annan's continuing engagement.

Meanwhile, rival negotiators agreed to create a South Africa-style Truth, Justice and Reconciliation Commission, a Commission of Inquiry on Post-Election Violence and another committee to look into the hotly contested 2007 polls.

Former Nigerian foreign minister Oluyemi Adeniji, who replaced Annan as chief mediator as chief mediator, said was "delighted" with the progress and noted "it augurs well for future cooperation within a coalition government."

The negotiations, which adjourned to Tuesday next week, focus on reforms to address historical injustices that touch on electoral, institutional, constitutional and judicial issues, as well as land reforms at the heart of the tribal unrest.

Other issues include measures to address poverty, unemployment, inequity and corruption, and installing a more transparent government.

A separate panel is preparing a bill on the creation of the post of prime minister in a nation that has usually had a powerful presidency to be presented to parliament when it reconvenes on Thursday.

The government lawmakers have agreed to support the bill and entrench it in the constitution while opposition MPs will meet on Wednesday to make a similar move.

Meanwhile, police vowed to take action after 15 people were on Monday in the Rift Valley, the first major act of violence since Kibaki and Odinga signed the accord.

"We are saddened by these unwarranted deaths of civilians who had just returned home from (displaced people's) camps," police spokesman Eric Kiraithe told AFP.

"But our officers are currently combing the ground, looking for the attackers. Let them be warned that these acts of brutality must come to an end ..."

Police blamed the attack on the Sabaot Land Defence Force (SLDF), a militia group demanding nullification of a government settlement scheme which it deems unfair because it displaced the small Sabaot tribes from their ancestral land.

The post-poll crisis, which has battered the economy, tapped into simmering resentment over land, poverty and the dominance of the Kikuyu, Kibaki's tribe, in Kenyan politics and business since independence in 1963.

It has also weakened the tourism and agriculture sectors, and tarnished the country's reputation as an island of stability in a region beset by conflicts.

AFP: Kenyan leaders agree to heal nation as talks adjourn

Kenya on a new road...

The press in Kenya has warmly welcomed the power-sharing deal announced on Thursday.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Several papers are optimistic that the deal signed between President Mwai Kibaki and Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) leader Raila Odinga will save the country from "anarchy" and "self-destruction" and heal the wounds of the conflict sparked by the disputed elections.

One commentator greets the development with the simple wish: "Let the party begin!"

EDITORIAL IN KENYA'S STANDARD

The agreement... marks the beginning of a hopeful but challenging period for Kenya. Coming at a time armed militia were reported to be preparing for renewed violence should the talks collapse, it will be remembered as the moment the nation stepped back from the brink of a precipice.

EDITORIAL IN KENYA'S NATION

The agreement... reinforces the adage that behind every cloud, there is a silver lining. Just a few days ago, it was all gloom and foreboding with indications that the talks aimed at pulling Kenya back from anarchy were on the verge of collapse... Signing that deal, along with the concessions each [has made], stands as a true mark of leadership and patriotism... Kenyans who have witnessed death and destruction on a scale they could not have imagined demand speedy implementation of the agreement.

EDITORIAL IN KENYA'S TIMES

The political settlement... helps to heal the wounds that were physically and mentally inflicted on the people following the disputed results of last year's general election... Leaders must therefore never let down the people again.

CHRIS ODWESSO IN KENYA'S TIMES

Kenya yesterday embarked on a journey away from self-destruction to a world that once again promises hope, common sense, patriotism, reconciliation, restoration and dignity.

LUCY ORIANG IN KENYA'S NATION

The shuttle diplomacy between Mr Kofi Annan and the principals of the Party of National Unity and the Orange Democratic Movement has paid off. There's only one thing to say at this point: Let the party begin!

Deal offers fresh hope to Kenya

By Noel Mwakugu
BBC News, Nairobi

The handshake finally came after a month of talks

Many Kenyans had feared the imminent outbreak of renewed violence when peace talks were suspended on Monday but instead there is now fresh hope after the two rival leaders agreed to share power.

Both President Mwai Kibaki and opposition leader Raila Odinga gave ground under massive international pressure and the intervention of African Union Chairman and Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete.

They unveiled a deal that is intended to steer the country towards much-needed reconciliation after allegations of rigging in last December's elections.

However, as chief mediator Kofi Annan said: "The journey is far from over. In fact it is only beginning."

A peaceful destination will only be reached only if Mr Kibaki and Mr Odinga show the political will.

After such a bitter dispute, which has cost 1,500 lives, trust between the two men has been in short supply - this is why it took more than a month of tortuous talks for them to reach a deal.

Hurdles ahead

This will not be the first time that the two leaders have formed a joint government - they did it in 2002 but it lasted barely three years before they fell out.

While Mr Odinga looks set to take up the new post of prime minister, it is not clear who prevails in the event of a disagreement between him and President Kibaki.

 

POWER-SHARING DEAL

New two-party coalition government to be set up

Cabinet posts to be divided equally between the two parties

Raila Odinga to take new post of prime minister, can only be dismissed by National Assembly

Two new deputy PMs to be appointed, one from each member of coalition

Agreement: More detail

Reaction in quotes

If the deal is strong enough to overcome that hurdle, the new optimism will prove well-founded.

All eyes in a country that has been mourning for the past two months now turn to parliament, where MPs convene next Thursday to vote for the National Accord and Reconciliation Act that will usher in these changes.

The first challenge facing the two leaders once the act is operational is to appoint a new cabinet, whose members will be shared out equally.

The violence has left deep ethnic divisions and a new cabinet must be named with a regional balance to appease communities that felt left out in the last administration.

Corruption scandals

Apart from the regional balance, Kenyans are eager to see the parties merge their policies and deliver an equal share of national resources.

Kofi Annan hailed the deal but said there was more work to be done

Economic disparities lie behind much of the ethnic tension which exploded into violence after the disputed election.

One major policy difference is that of decentralising power and therefore wealth.

This was a key campaign pledge of Mr Odinga's Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) but not Mr Kibaki's Party of National Unity (PNU).

The coalition partners now have to marry these and other areas of disagreement.

President Kibaki is credited with steering economic growth in his first term in office but corruption thrived within his administration, drawing much criticism from foreign diplomats.

This is yet another hurdle for the new coalition - both sides include people linked with corruption scandals in the past.

Many doubt if the leaders will have the courage to sacrifice them and inject fresh blood into the administration since it is clear some of those tainted by scandal helped fund the campaigns and remain very influential.

Political will?

The talks which gave birth to this new power-sharing arrangement have brought to the fore the influence of hardliners on both sides.

Odinga supporters took to the streets as the deal was announced

While Mr Kibaki and Mr Odinga may have shaken hands and exchanged pleasantries, observers are sceptical as to whether they will ignore the advice of some of their hardline backers.

But failure to contain their influence may endanger the new coalition.

The power-sharing agreement ends if either partner walks out and this would throw the country back into another phase of uncertainty.

Some argue that the new deal could produce a new breed of leader who would be respected for their political principles and not the wealth they possess, as at present.

But as Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete squarely put at the signing ceremony, it is the political will of the two leaders that remains central if this promise is to become a reality.

 

Holding fire on Kenya celebrations

For the woman whose husband was burnt alive in a church in the worst of Kenya's post-election violence, it is a little premature to celebrate Thursday's peace deal signed by the country's warring leaders.

These land skirmishes are not about power or politics; it's not ODM and PNU - it's tribal

Displaced farmer

"It's become a habit of saying 'peace, peace, peace' - and then after peace we see flames of fire," the mother of four says in a displacement camp on the outskirts of Eldoret in the Rift Valley Province.

"After peace we see spears; we see arrows; we see bows; we see pangas [machetes]."

The church where her husband died was set ablaze by armed youths in the first few days after President Mwai Kibaki was hastily sworn in as president on 30 December after disputed elections.

Those sheltering inside were from Mr Kibaki's Kikuyu community.

Now some 20,000 Kikuyus, Kisis and Luyhas targeted in the area have taken refugee at the showground where white tents stretch out as far as the eye can see.

'Still suffering'

A man who fled his farm agrees that violence has opened up wounds that the power-sharing agreement in Nairobi will not immediately heal.

Some 600,000 people were displaced by the violence

A coalition is to be set up headed by President Kibaki of the Party of National Unity (PNU) with Raila Odinga - whose Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) is the largest in parliament - set to take the newly created post of prime minister.

"The relationship won't help us," the farmer says.

"We'll still suffer more and more. Not unless people who fought with us talk to us and we come together with them and we forgive each other.

"You see these land skirmishes are not about power or politics; it's not ODM and PNU - it's tribal."

I don't imagine that I'm going to stay with a person who burned my house - it can't happen because he's still my enemy

Unemployed youth

In Eldoret town itself, where Kalenjins make up the majority of residents, the deal was greeted enthusiastically.

Many feel they will be able to put the clashes that rocked the town behind them.

But an unemployed youth at the show ground camp sees little hope of this.

"Kibaki and Raila have decided. For me I don't see that it is a deal.

"I don't imagine that I'm going to stay with a person who stole my cloth, who burned my house - it can't happen because he's still my enemy," he says, adding that he will not be returning to his home.

Retribution

A recent school leaver wants assurances on the ground about the agreement.

I don't feel it's OK for me to be a refugee in my own country

Kikuyu widow

"For me to accept it, we need stern measures to be taken against the perpetrators so that these things will not recur in our country," he says.

"A lot of agony has taken place in our hearts.

"Families are dead and it is very late for us to say it's a power-sharing deal."

The church widow says she will not be returning to her farm any time soon and will see what happens with the coalition.

"I want to really to see [it work] as a Kenyan. I'll just take a step of faith and just watch them.

"I don't feel it's OK for me to be a refugee in my own country."

Holding fire on celebrations

Kenya press hails deal

Deal offers fresh hope to Kenya

The Agreement and the road ahead

 

The deal, which took two days of intense diplomacy by chief mediator Kofi Annan and Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete, was struck after the two protagonists — President Kibaki and ODM leader Raila Odinga —  ignored the views of hard-liners in their camps to give Kenyans a coalition agreement that would see the Opposition share power with the government.

At an exclusive meeting in Harambee House, both leaders ceded ground to arrive at a power-sharing agreement that created the position of a prime minister who will exercise some authority on government.

Sources said that Mr Annan decided to deal directly with President Kibaki and Mr Odinga after realising that the two may not have been getting accurate briefs on the progress of the negotiations from their teams.

It is not yet clear what may have prompted President Kibaki’s change of heart over his earlier stated stand on the creation of a PM’s post which he had emphasised only hours before the deal was sealed on Thursday.

However, a source close to the President said on Friday: “A time comes when a leader must take the hard decisions on his own and what happened yesterday (Thursday) was one such moment. The President rose above party interests to make a decision for Kenya.”

Mr Annan with fellow mediators, Graca Machel and Benjamin Mkapa: Their work done, Wako is now the point of focus.

Chief mediator Kofi Annan leaves the country on Sunday as the task of transforming the historic Harambee House deal into law shifts to Attorney-General Amos Wako and Parliament.

Mr Annan, the man who for 41 days embodied Kenya’s hopes peace, leaves subsequent mediation efforts in the hands of former Nigerian foreign minister Oluyemi Adeniji.

The AG and four other lawyers, who are part of the Serena mediation process, will now draft the necessary Bills to amend the Constitution and accommodate the National Accord and Reconciliation Act 2008 signed on the steps of Harambee House into the country’s statute books.

Both PNU and ODM have scheduled meetings ahead of the opening of Parliament Thursday to marshal their troops behind the deal struck between President Kibaki and ODM leader Raila Odinga on Thursday, setting the stage for a major reorganisation of the government structure.

The five draftsmen are Mr Wako, Ugenya MP James Orengo, his Mbooni counterpart Mutula Kilonzo and the mediation team’s joint secretaries Karoli Omondi and Dr Gichira Kibaara.

The team will identify the sections of law that require amendment and how those that run counter to the Annan deal can be adapted to accommodate the new changes.

The team is expected to draft the necessary Bills in a manner that will require only minimum debate and publish them before the State opening of Parliament.

As the spotlight turned on the Wako team, representatives of the European Union and the African Union appealed to parliamentarians not to let Kenyans down but to ensure that the delicate process is completed.

After the signing of the accord, it is now necessary to amend certain sections of the Constitution to accommodate the establishment of the offices of prime minister and two deputies and define the character and functions of those offices.

The creation of the new posts is inconsistent with the current Constitution, hence the reason for the amendment. Lawyers who have scrutinised the agreement told the Sunday Nation that if enacted under the current charter, the Accord Agreement would be null and void.

It is expected that debate will start with the proposed changes to the Constitution before Parliament turns to those dealing with ordinary Acts of Parliament affected by the deal.

However, for the purposes of these Bills and the fact that the President has already convened the House earlier than anticipated, it is clear to every player that the two Bills are being given priority.

 

Kenya Today: Nationmedia.com