Cops set to stop Nairobi rally

2004-07-03 10:41

Nairobi - Hundreds of Kenyan police early on Saturday patrolled the capital, Nairobi, after organisers vowed to defy a ban against a public rally calling for a speedy conclusion to a long constitutional review process.

"We have deployed hundreds of police officers at every corner where we suspect that there might be chaos. We have also cordoned off (the rally's venue at) Uhuru Park," police spokesperson Jasper Ombati said.

On Friday, Katiba (the Swahili word for "constitution") Watch, a lobby group made up of former delegates to a national constitutional conference, vowed to defy a police ban and go ahead with the rally.

"Since the group vowed to defy the ban, then we have to ensure that the rally does not go ahead since there is every indication that there will be trouble if we let it go ahead," Ombati added.

A police chopper was also seen patrolling the skies of the capital.

Members of Katiba Watch meanwhile held a meeting in a hotel adjacent to Uhuru Park to plan the way forward, the rally's co-ordinator Martin Shikuku said.

Tension ahead of the rally heightened this week after President Mwai Kibaki reshuffled his cabinet and moved some Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) ministers to lower-profile portfolios and brought a couple of politicians from the opposition KANU party into the government.

Ministers and MPs of the LDP - a faction in the ruling National Rainbow Coalition (NARC) - openly supported the rally.

In March, a national conference completed a draft constitution which reduced the powers of the presidency in favour of an executive prime minister.

But wrangling among ministers and subsequent court orders have delayed the draft document being debated in parliament.

- AFP