Kenyatta ousted in Kenya

2006-11-28 20:59

Nairobi - The son of Kenya's revered founding president Jomo Kenyatta was ousted on Tuesday as the official leader of the nation's opposition as the government recognised a splinter faction of his party.

In a bitter dispute pitting Uhuru Kenyatta against his father's political heirs, Kenya's registrar of societies proclaimed a rival the legitimate owner of leadership of the Kenya African National Union (Kanu).

The move caps the disintegration of Kenya's oldest political party, which had ruled the country for nearly 40 years under the late Jomo Kenyatta and his successor Daniel arap Moi, who had sided with the younger Kenyatta's rival.

But it sets the stage for a bitter and potentially volatile struggle as Kenya heads towards presidential elections next year with the opposition divided on how best to oust current President Mwai Kibaki.

The decision effectively removes Uhuru Kenyatta as opposition leader and gives the title to Nicholas Biwott, a scandal-plagued ex-minister and close Moi ally who had opposed Kenyatta's moves to join a larger opposition coalition.

'Hand over power peacefully'

"We are very happy and we will now start to revitalise our party," new Kanu secretary-general Josphine Ojiambo said after being given certificates of registration. "We hope our colleagues will hand over peacefully."

But Kenyatta, 46, who had allied his Kanu wing with the larger Orange Democratic Movement-Kenya (ODM-K) opposition alliance, vowed to not accept the decision and promised a fight with Biwott, who is in his late 60s.

"How can the government oust the leader of official opposition?" he asked incredulously at a news conference, calling his removal "absurd" and blaming it on a conspiracy between Moi and Kibaki to fracture political foes.

"What is happening is an attempt by President Kibaki and former president Moi to oust the recognised officials," said Kenyatta. "(They) want to return the country to single-party dictatorship."

"We dare Mr Biwott to come and take over offices of the leader of opposition. Kanu is not a piece of paper, it is the people. This is a theatre of the absurd. We will now fight it out like men here in (parliament)."

'Dangerously tribal in nature'

Kenyatta's group voted on Monday to join the ODM-K, but retain its Kanu identity and filed a legal challenge to block Biwott's Moi-backed bid to register himself as the new party chairperson.

Despite a reputation for authoritarianism, cronyism and corruption, Moi still wields considerable influence in Kenya and had warned against Kanu joining the ODM, which he says is dangerously tribal in nature.

Raila Odinga, a former Kibaki ally who split with him over a proposed new constitution last year, and enjoys massive support from his Luo tribe who dominate western Kenya, started the ODM.

Kenyatta, though, reject Moi's concerns and say the only way they can unseat Kibaki, who defeated Kenyatta in 2002 elections, is as part of Odinga's larger alliance.

- AFP