Violence erupts in Kenya
2005-09-21 22:13
Nairobi - Violence erupted in central Kenya on Wednesday when a group supporting a proposed new constitution attempted to halt a rally against the draft basic law ahead of a referendum in November, police and witnesses said.
Several were arrested and others injured in the industrial town of Thika, about 40km northeast of the capital Nairobi, the area's police commander James Kirima Ringera said.
The rally, which was organised to campaign for a "no" vote during the November 21 referendum, was briefly marred by chaos when a group of youths supporting a "yes" vote attempted to stop it.
"We arrested two people who were armed with clubs, but we managed to halt the commotion," Ringera said.
Witnesses said several people were arrested, but police could not confirm the exact number.
The new skirmishes came three days after unruly protestors against the proposed constitution disrupted a government rally in northern Kenya.
Last week, Electoral Commission of Kenya (ECK) chairperson Samuel Kivuitu warned that the campaigns might spark violence in the country and urged both sides to respect the law.
The contentious draft constitution, which has split President Mwai Kibaki's government, is the first major change to the country's founding document since independence in from Britain in 1963.
The political opposition, which is led by the son of Kenya's revered founding president Jomo Kenyatta and includes members of Kibaki's coalition government, is calling for a "no" vote as the draft retains nearly absolute presidential powers.
They also argue giving rights to Islamic "kadhi" courts in Muslim family and personal matters is tantamount to legitimizing Sharia law in majority Christian Kenya where only 10% to 30% of the population adheres to Islam.
The inclusion of such courts is seen, however, as crucial for Kibaki to retain support from the potentially restive Muslim community which has long complained of discrimination, particularly in Kenya's attempts to fight the war on terrorism.
Several groups and politicians have warned that the country's reputation as a bedrock of stability in volatile east Africa and the credibility of Kibaki are at stake as incidents of violence rock the campaign.
"My government has always maintained it's up to the Kenyans themselves to write and accept their own constitution ... every Kenyan has the right to say yes or no to the proposed draft," German ambassador Bernd Braun said in Nairobi.
"We will closely monitor the pre-referendum campaign which must be led in a free and fair manner, without violence, intimidation or manipulation," he told a meeting organised by the Kenyan wing of the International Commission of Jurists.