US to act on Kenya if power deal fails
Published on April 9, 2008, 12:00 am
By Maseme Machuka And James Ratemo
The US government has warned it would act against Kenya should President Mwai Kibaki and opposition leader Raila Odinga fail to agree on a coalition government. As the two parties continued bickering over the sharing of ministries in the coalition government, Kenya Human Rights Commission (KHRC) warned of possibility of renewed violence unless a cabinet is constituted immediately. US Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice urged leaders to stick to the spirit and letter of the power sharing commitment reflected in the peace accord. “Should the accord not be implemented, however, the United States will form its own judgements regarding responsibility for lack of implementation of the accord, and act accordingly,” warned Rice.
On Monday, Rice spoke separately by telephone with President Mwai Kibaki and Prime Minister-designate Raila Odinga to urge them to implement real power sharing and agree on the composition of their coalition cabinet. “Both (Kibaki and Raila) emphasized to me their strong commitment to do so. It is imperative that they form the cabinet without further delay and address the vitally important work of the nation.” “The United States and the entire international community stand ready to assist the coalition government and to help ensure that the provisions of the February 28 political accord are fully respected,” she said. Kenya Human Rights Commission executive director, Muthoni Wanyeki, said the delay in the formation of a lean cabinet has only heightened tensions in the country, posing serious threats to life and security of Kenyans. “The violence witnessed on Tuesday in parts of the country, in particular Kibera slums, is worrying as it could easily spread forcing Kenya back to where we were in January and February 2008,” she said.
To avert a return to violence and to reinstate Kenya on the path to peace, she urged the leaders to commit to speedy resolution of the long-term issues being dealt with by the National Dialogue and Reconciliation Team. “Politicians should ensure Kenyans enjoy all human rights, especially those to life and security in particular of Internally Displaced Persons and women resident in areas prone to conflict,” she said. The US and EU have piled pressure on the two rival leaders to urgently implement the real power sharing deal. The Orange Democratic Party came up with new conditions it wants met before the talks can resume. The party stated that negotiations between ODM and PNU had been suspended until the latter fully recognised the 50-50 power sharing arrangements and the principle of portfolio balance. “This also means that executive power and authority must be shared between the Prime Minister and President,” said the statement signed by Prof Anyang Nyong’o the party secretary general.
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