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Kibaki, Odinga 'to heal Kenya'
05/03/2008 08:17 - (SA)
Nairobi - Kenya's President Mwai Kibaki and opposition chief Raila Odinga on Tuesday agreed to unite and heal the nation that was nearly destroyed by deadly post-election violence, said the presidency.
The pair held talks in the president's downtown office for the first time since last Thursday's signing of a power-sharing accord that ended two months of bloody turmoil.
They "agreed to work together towards uniting all Kenyans and accelerating the healing process by holding meetings with different communities with a view to ensuring that wananchi (citizens) live together peacefully," Kibaki's office said in a statement.
Under the accord, which had been welcomed by Kenyans after post-electoral bloodshed, Odinga was set to become the east African country's prime minister, once parliament passed the power-sharing deal into law.
Coalition government
Odinga's claim that Kibaki stole a December 27 presidential poll touched off widespread violence that took on a tribal nature, claimed at least 1 500 lives and displaced hundreds of thousands of people.
The two leaders "agreed to ensure that the agreement they signed last week is implemented fully for the benefit of all Kenyans" and also "discussed how their two parties will relate and work together in the coalition government", said the statement.
In Geneva, United Nations chief Ban Ki-moon pressed the Kenyan leaders to implement the accord, mediated by his predecessor Kofi Annan.
He said: "His role has brought not only peace and stability in Kenya but also the whole region."
"We need to continue to be engaged in the process," Ban added, saying that the UN would "fully stand behind" Annan's continuing engagement.
Mediator 'delighted with the progress'
Meanwhile, rival negotiators agreed to create a South Africa-style Truth, Justice and Reconciliation Commission, a Commission of Inquiry on Post-Election Violence and another committee to look into the hotly contested 2007 polls.
Former Nigerian foreign minister Oluyemi Adeniji, who replaced Annan as chief mediator as chief mediator, said was "delighted" with the progress and noted "it augurs well for future co-operation within a coalition government".
The negotiations, which adjourned to Tuesday next week, focused on reforms to address historical injustices that touched on electoral, institutional, constitutional and judicial issues, as well as land reforms at the heart of the tribal unrest.
Other issues included measures to address poverty, unemployment, inequity and corruption, and installing a more transparent government.
A separate panel was preparing a bill on the creation of the post of prime minister in a nation that had usually had a powerful presidency to be presented to parliament when it reconvenes on Thursday.
The government parliamentarians had agreed to support the bill and entrenched it in the constitution while opposition MPs would meet on Wednesday to make a similar move.
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