Kibaki's victory 'still a concern'

2008-02-14 12:05

Nairobi - Kenya's election chief compared the president to a notoriously corrupt predecessor for the hasty manner in which he was sworn in, speaking on national television as negotiators sequestered themselves at a luxury game lodge to hammer out a deal to end the weeks of bloodshed sparked by disputes over the vote.

Also on Wednesday, a police chief said a former top regional police chief had been arrested on suspicion of financing the torching of homes during violence that had seen more than 1 000 Kenyans die and some 600 000 flee their homes in fear.

Several foreign and local observers had said at least some of the violence was orchestrated. Church leaders also admitted they took sides on ethnic lines.

Kibaki 'stole' vote

Peter Karanja, the secretary-general of the National Council of Churches of Kenya, said: "Religious leaders failed to stay on the middle path, they took sides and were unable to bring the unity needed when the crisis arose." He was speaking after a meeting of the executive committee on Wednesday.

Opposition leader Raila Odinga accused President Mwai Kibaki of stealing the December 27 vote, and domestic and international observers had said there was rigging - possibly by both sides. Odinga and Kibaki had been under pressure to share power as a solution.

In an interview with independent Nation TV, electoral commission chairperson Samuel Kivuitu said tampering was possible. He also said that he had been too sick to oversee many parts of the process personally.

Kivuiti had said previously that even though he announced Kibaki the winner, he still was not sure who won the election. He once was well respected, but had been ridiculed since the vote.

Kivuiti said: "There are many ways of rigging. There are allegations, we don't know if they are true."

Kibaki's anti-graft reputation 'faded'

He had also been struck by the speed with which the president and his entourage were ready for the swearing-in, less than an hour after he had announced the results. "It reminded me of the days of Moi," he said.

When Kibaki was first elected in 2002 on a wide-ranging anti-corruption platform, he was welcomed as the antithesis of President Daniel arap Moi, accused of corruption and of plundering the state treasury for his and his cronies' benefit.

Kibaki's anti-corruption reputation soon faded, and he had been accused not only of ignoring his administration's corruption, but of shielding criminals from past administrations. Moi endorsed Kibaki's re-election bid.

A news blackout on the peace talks, meanwhile, appeared to be holding on Wednesday. Neither party was reachable to comment on the discussions.

Top negotiators said on Tuesday that the opposition was proposing sharing power with the government for two years, then holding new elections.

- AP