Saturday, March 01, 2008
In Kenya, U.S. Added Action to Talk of Democracy
New York Times
By HELENE COOPER
WASHINGTON — Within hours of Thursday’s power-sharing deal between Kenya’s rival leaders, the State Department issued a rare statement from Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, praising the pact and citing the United States for providing “intensive support” to bring it about.
Indeed, while Kofi Annan, the former United Nations secretary general, spent weeks in Kenya negotiating the agreement, many foreign policy experts also credit the Bush administration for putting action behind its talk of the need for democracy in Africa.
In Kenya, that meant pressing President Mwai Kibaki, whose supporters, many policy experts say, were most to blame for December’s disastrous elections and the ensuing fallout.
After almost two months of watching Kenya’s rival factions battle in ethnic-fueled violence that left more than 1,000 Kenyans dead, President Bush dispatched Ms. Rice to Nairobi. Ms. Rice let it be known that the United States would not look kindly on Mr. Kibaki’s actions and pointedly called for him to compromise, saying, “The time for a political settlement was yesterday.”
Mr. Kibaki bristled at the outside interference, but yielded.
“I think Kenya was a wake-up call for the United States,” said Kenneth Roth, the executive director of Human Rights Watch, who has been openly critical of the administration’s response to flawed elections in Africa. In the end, Mr. Roth said, “Rice did play a constructive role in Kenya, and this agreement is a wonderful step forward.”
MoreTeams seek long-term solutions
The Standard
By David Ohito and Abiya Ochola
For the first time, the mediation teams returned to a table together, a day after a historic power sharing deal was signed.
The Party of National Unity (PNU) and Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) negotiators agreed on key proposals to seek long-term solutions to the political crisis.
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How Annan magic worked to seal Kibaki-Raila deal
Story by: SATURDAY NATION Team
Publication Date: 3/1/2008
Details of the dramatic events leading to the signing of a peace deal that ended two months of Kenya’s political turmoil emerged on Friday as the country sprung back to life. 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.
Leaders Welcome ODM-PNU Pact
The East African Standard (Nairobi)
By Moses Njagih
Nairobi
Central Kenya leaders welcomed the deal between President Kibaki and the ODM leader, Mr Raila Odinga.
Terming it as an act of statesmanship, the leaders were unanimous in their praise for the deal, saying it would bring peace and tranquillity.
MoreKenya can turn corner in six months-Odinga
NAIROBI, March 1 (Reuters) - Kenya can restore confidence among international investors and lure back tourists within six months if the coalition government agreed this week can get down to work, the country’s future prime minister said on Saturday.
Opposition leader Raila Odinga will take the post of prime minister under a power-sharing deal with President Mwai Kibaki intended to bring to an end two months of violence and political turmoil that have cost Kenya its reputation for stability.
Tourism, the country’s biggest foreign exchange earner worth nearly $1 billion last year, has all but collapsed since television footage of violent mobs on the rampage was beamed around the world.
MoreFriday, February 29, 2008
Letter of Solidarity with the Women of Kenya from
We, the women of South Africa, under the banner of the South African Women in Dialogue, united in our diversity, and representing all nine provinces and all sectors of our society, hereby express our deepest solidarity with you as you and your compatriots continue to experience ongoing violations of your civil and human rights related to the political unrest that continues to plague your country following the 2007 general elections.
MoreAgrement on the principles of partnership of the coalition government
ACTING TOGETHER FOR KENYA: AGREEMENT ON THE PRINCIPLES OF PARTNERSHIP OF THE COALITION GOVERNMENT.
Preamble:
The crisis triggered by the 2007 disputed presidential election has brought to the surface deep-seated and long-standing divisions within Kenyan society. If left unaddressed, these divisions threaten the very existence of Kenya as a unified country. The Kenyan people are now looking to their leaders to ensure that their country will not be lost.
MoreThursday, February 28, 2008
ACHPR Statement on Kenya violence
Statement by the Chairperson of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, H. E. Honourable Justice Sanji Mmasenono Monageng, violence in the Republic of Kenya
The African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights has followed closely, and with growing concern, the violence that has engulfed Kenya in the aftermath of the Presidential elections held at the end of December 2007.
The African Commission is very concerned that the violence has led to the destruction of property and loss of life, and generated thousands of internally displaced persons, as well as refugees now seeking shelter in neighbouring countries. The Commission is particularly concerned by the developments, which have had a very deleterious effect on the human rights situation in the country.
Power-sharing deal reached in Kenya
Rival leaders in Kenya have agreed to form a coalition government after weeks of nationwide violence and political unrest.
Kofi Annan, the former UN secretary-general who has been mediating talks between the government and the opposition, said on Tuesday that an agreement had been made, ending the political crisis. “We have come to an understanding on the coalition agreement. We do have an agreement,” he said.
He said that further information on the deal between Mwai Kibaki, the president, and Raila Odinga, the leader of the opposition Orange Democratic Movement (ODM), would be given at 4pm (1300GMT). Annan had suspended talks on Tuesday after negotiators for either side could not agree on a deal. Primary in disagreements was the level of power to be assigned to the prime minister. The crisis ignited after disputed presidential elections on December 27, which the ODM claimed was rigged.
More than 1,500 people were killed in the rioting and tribal clashes which followed.
Al Jazeera
No transfers, rules varsity
Moi university has rejected requests for student transfers sparked by the recent post-election violence in the country. Prof Richard Mibey, the university’s vice-chancellor, said a number of students had requested to be transferred, but reiterated that the university would not yield to the request. “If we grant these requests, then we shall balkanise our institution along ethnic and political lines,” he said.
EU to act on those who stall mediation
The European Union has expressed concern over the stalled negotiations and called for an effective power-sharing mechanism. The EU presidency also warned of dire consequences to individuals who obstructed the process. “The presidency emphasises that a means of effective power sharing in Kenya must be found and that individuals who obstruct the dialogue process will have to face the consequences,” read the statement from the EU presidency in Slovenia, faxed to newsrooms on Wednesday. The presidency expressed concern over the stalling of the talks and supported efforts by the Panel of Eminent African Personalities, led by chief mediator, Dr Kofi Annan. “The presidency is concerned to learn that there remains a serious gap between the Kenyan parties preventing them from reaching a final agreement.”
Kibaki’s coalition proposal over post dismissed
President Kibaki kicked a fresh power-sharing controversy by announcing he was ready to appoint a Prime Minister “in a Coalition Agreement”. In a statement from the Presidential Press Service, Kibaki said he had met with the chief mediator in the Kenya National Dialogue and Reconciliation process, Dr Kofi Annan, at his Harambee House offices on Wednesday to thrash out the pending issues, especially in regard to the role of the proposed PM’s office. Kibaki said the pending issues could be addressed under the current Constitution in Coalition Agreement.
Resettlement of Displaced Strains Families, Society
The violence following the disputed elections in Kenya killed more than 1,000 people and displaced an estimated 600,000 more. Many of the displaced have been taken in by their extended families but thousands continue to live in camps awaiting resettlement and some of them have nowhere to go. VOA’s Scott Bobb visited such a camp in Kisumu, western Kenya, and has this report. On a hot afternoon inside a sprawling compound on the edge of Kisumu, children play under a large tent sheltering rows of cots covered by mosquito nets. Meanwhile, adults chat on plastic chairs under a nearby canopy.
“It Will Not Be Machetes and Arrows Any More, But Firearms”
Political analyst Kwamchetsi Makhokha has warned that failure of talks to address Kenya’s political crisis could prove explosive. The East African country is trying to resolve a disputed presidential election that has already cost more than 1,000 lives—and displaced up to 600,000 people. “It will not be machetes and arrows any more, but firearms. Intelligence reports show that people are seriously arming youths in readiness for war. The next phase will be total breakdown of law and order,” he told IPS. “We have seen this happen...Protagonists refuse to negotiate or sign a peace deal to solve a contentious political issue, or ignore gaping social problems...and then it blows up in your face,” added Makhokha, who is based in the capital, Nairobi. His comments come in the wake of talks being put on hold earlier this week.
Annan Talks Shift to Raila And Kibaki
The East African Standard (Nairobi)
Nairobi
Lead mediator Dr Kofi Annan made good his promise to directly engage President Kibaki and Mr Raila Odinga.
It was a day of intense shuttle diplomacy and building international pressure.
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