Kenya’s Raila and Kibaki Sign Power Sharing Deal

Opposition leader Raila Odinga and incumbent President Mwai Kibaki signed a power sharing deal this week that establishes a prime minister role within the government.

Odinga said “We on our side are completely committed in ensuring that this agreement will succeed. The ball has moved partially from the hands of the negotiators and ourselves to the court of parliament.”

Kibaki speaking for his government said they “will fully support implementation of the agreement reached under the national dialogue and reconciliation process until we achieve the results we all want.”

The agreement calls for an act of parliament within two weeks that would change the country’s constitution, creating the position of prime minister to “coordinate and supervise” the government and its ministries.

The National Accord and Reconciliation Act 2008 establishes that the president, vice president, prime minister and other ministers will form the government’s cabinet — with the addition of two deputy prime ministers who will be appointed by the president.

Odinga went on to acknowledge Kibaki as Kenya’s president and stated that they are now “countrymen”.

As with most post colonial nations it is necessary that Kenya first address the internal infrastructure of its government to bring about substantial economic and democratic growth . The U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Jendayi Frazer stated that the power sharing agreement is “critical step toward the legitimate government of the country,” and that the United States would keep both parties “on the right track.

Re: Bush in Africa, Emphasizes Successes Over Conflicts

Please find below an article regarding President Bush’s visit to the African continent from The New York Times. In doing so please note that while the Bush administration continues to encourage the world of Africa’s importance to the United States this is only the second time in his presidency that he has decided to visit this continent. Ironically Mr.Bush decided not to address the stressful situation in Kenya (where over 1,000 have died) or Dafur (where over 200,000 have died and has already been declared a genocide). In his emphasis on success President Bush must realize that the funding that his administration gives to the African nation will not improve the continent until they address the instability as a whole. It is not surprising that Sudanese run into Chad when there is fighting in Sudan. Unfortunately unlike America, Africa does not have the luxury of closing our borders to the neighboring countries in their battle for democracy. In an effort to rebuild his legacy President Bush will always be remembered first for his self sustained Iraqi war, and second for the destruction of the American economy, and finally for his standing by and watching the “genocide” of Sudan.

By SHERYL GAY STOLBERG

DAR ES SALAAM, Tanzania — Opening a six-day tour of Africa, President Bush on Saturday defended his decision not to visit violence-stricken nations like Kenya and Sudan, saying he wanted to focus on his programs to fight AIDS and malaria instead. “This is a large place with a lot of nations, and, no question, everything is not perfect,” Mr. Bush said during a brief visit to Benin before arriving Saturday evening here in the capital of Tanzania. “On the other hand, there’s a lot of great success stories, and the United States is pleased to be involved with those success stories.”The stop in Benin made Mr. Bush the first American president to visit that tiny West African nation. It was on his itinerary because it represents the kind of success Mr. Bush wants to highlight — how American aid has helped improve water, schools, infrastructure and health care in some of the world’s poorest nations. In 2006, Benin signed a five-year, $307 million agreement with the Millennium Challenge Corporation, created by Mr. Bush to help nations that embrace democracy and free markets and commit to fighting corruption. Benin also benefits from America’s antimalaria programs, as well as an education initiative that provides money to train teachers, build schools and buy textbooks.So it was no surprise that Benin’s president, Thomas Yayi Boni, had high praise for Mr. Bush when the two appeared together for a short news conference at the airport in Cotonou, the country’s economic capital. Vowing that “everything that would stain democracy will be suppressed” under his leadership, he said Mr. Bush’s visit was an important symbol.The White House is hoping that the Africa trip will remind not only Africans, but also Americans, that Mr. Bush has done more during his presidency than fight a controversial war with Iraq. Dar es Salaam was festooned with billboards bearing Mr. Bush’s likeness, including one on the road from the airport to downtown that declared, “We Cherish Democracy,” and another outside his hotel, the Kempinski, that said, “Feel at Home.”Still, there were some undercurrents of resentment. Two thousand people protested here on Friday, before Mr. Bush arrived, waving signs that suggested he was a terrorist. And he cannot seem to avoid crisis elsewhere on the continent. Before he left Washington, Mr. Bush said he would send Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice to Kenya, where post-election violence has claimed the lives of more than 1,000 people since late December. But at Saturday’s news conference in Benin, he was asked why his administration was not taking a more active role, not only in Kenya but also in Darfur, where 200,000 people have died and 2.5 million have been chased from their homes in an ethnic conflict that Mr. Bush has called genocide.

He said he had “a tough decision to make early on” about whether to send troops into Darfur, but had decided against doing so in favor of allowing African Union and United Nations peacekeeping troops to intervene. He also said he intended to bring up Darfur during his visit to Rwanda, where he planned to thank that country’s president for sending in peacekeeping troops.

As to Kenya, Mr. Bush said Secretary Rice’s visit was “aimed at having a clear message that there be no violence and that there ought to be a power-sharing agreement.”

The former United Nations secretary general, Kofi Annan, has been in Kenya trying to negotiate a peace agreement. Mr. Bush’s national security adviser, Stephen J. Hadley, told reporters aboard Air Force One on Saturday that Mr. Annan appeared to be “making incremental progress.”

Mr. Hadley said that Ms. Rice, who is traveling with the president, would spend only a few hours in Kenya. He described the visit as an opportunity “to show the president’s concern — but also get on the ground and help support Kofi Annan and maybe move things forward a little further and a little faster.”

UN: Kenya political rivals sign deal

By ELIZABETH A. KENNEDY, Associated Press Writer1 hour, 9 minutes ago

Political rivals trying to lead Kenya out of weeks of violence that left more than 1,000 people dead signed an agreement Thursday, a U.N. spokesman said, but no details were released and the talks were to continue next week.

Former U.N. chief Kofi Annan, who is mediating the discussions, will release the text of the agreement Friday afternoon, said the spokesman, Nasser Ega-Musa.

Annan and the negotiators have been holed up in an undisclosed location for two days to try to hammer out agreements following a dispute over who won Dec. 27 presidential election.

A news blackout on the peace talks appeared to be holding; both parties have declined to comment on the discussions.

Opposition leader Raila Odinga accuses President Mwai Kibaki of stealing the Dec. 27 vote, and domestic and international observers have said was deeply flawed.

Odinga and Kibaki have been under pressure to share power as a solution. The election unleashed weeks of violence, killing more than 1,000 people and forcing 600,000 to flee their homes.

The talks are being held at a safari lodge in the Tsavo West National Park in southern Kenya. Top negotiators said Tuesday that the opposition was proposing sharing power with the government for two years, then holding new elections.

Joint Government in Kenya?

An opposition lawmaker claimed that Mr. Kibaki and Kenya’s opposition party have agreed to form a joint government in an effort to end the continued violence that erupted in the wake of a disputed presidential election. It is unclear at this time the details of this joint government, and the roles each party would play under such a governance. Both sides stated that they were committed to ending the violence. However, Former U.N. chief Kofi Annan stated that such claims were premature and “jumping the gun.” Annan has been mediating the talks between the two parties.

Kenya: Differences Between Parliamentary/Presidential Votes

Differences Between Parliamentary and Presidential Votes Cast in Disputed Constituencies.
Const. Code	Constituency	Registered Voters	Total Parliamentary votes cast	Total Presidential votes cast	Variance = (Presidential – Parliamentary)
						3	STAREHE	158,160	70,853	84,452	13,599
6	WESTLANDS	154,073	79,605	86,241	6,636
7	KASARANI	183,048	112,647	116,742	4,095
8	EMBAKASI	249,903	103,570	141,125	37,555
	SUB TOTAL	745,184	366,675	428,560	61,885
10	KISAUNI	128,593	60,582	66,964	6,382
16	BAHARI	98,066	46,229	47,695	1,466
17	KALOLENI	85,131	28,740	41,231	12,491
19	MALINDI	82,567	33,500	37,429	3,929
26	TAVETA	24,857	13,550	16,817	3,267
	SUB TOTAL	419,214	182,601	210,136	27,535
38	MANDERA WEST	25,502	16,911	16,528	(383)
	SUB TOTAL	25,502	16,911	16,528	(383)
47	IGEMBE SOUTH	82,949	55,598	63,247	7,649
48	IGEMBE NORTH	66,718	50,021	50,238	217
49	TIGANIA WEST	52,218	38,673	38,974	301
51	NORTH IMENTI	123,948	84,158	89,532	5,374
53	SOUTH IMENTI	94,873	74,488	78,803	4,315
54	NITHI	123,996	95,981	99,006	3,025
57	RUNYENJES	79,551	58,996	63,943	4,947
	SUB TOTAL	624,253	457,915	483,743	25,828
79	OL KALOU	90,391	79,315	78,097	(1,218)
81	TETU	49,844	43,496	43,724	228
82	KIENI	84,687	73,898	73,057	(841)
87	MWEA	77,327	62,376	63,376	1,000
90	KIRINYAGA CENTRAL	68,878	44,446	55,380	10,934
92	MATHIOYA	54,822	39,052	44,761	5,709
93	KIHARU	106,000	85,255	87,077	1,822
94	KIGUMO	68,109	58,879	59,984	1,105
96	KANDARA	85,775	69,896	71,364	1,468
97	GATANGA	85,789	69,585	73,418	3,833
98	GATUNDU SOUTH	64,626	53,318	53,318	-
100	JUJA	163,657	114,808	119,964	5,156
103	KIKUYU	106,688	85,879	87,257	1,378
104	LIMURU	65,771	44,769	52,343	7,574
105	LARI	59,391	51,015	50,082	(933)
	SUB TOTAL	1,231,755	975,987	1,013,202	37,215
107	TURKANA CENTRAL	60,383	29,930	34,028	4,098
115	SABOTI	126,962	76,417	78,167	1,750
133	LAIKIPIA WEST	102,932	72,261	78,228	5,967
134	LAIKIPIA EAST	79,265	54,334	57,010	2,676
135	NAIVASHA	138,302	84,142	79,101	(5,041)
138	MOLO	126,361	95,967	100,066	4,099
140	SUBUKIA	80,104	63,819	68,770	4,951
144	KAJIADO NORTH	107,390	66,190	79,901	13,711
	SUB TOTAL	821,699	543,060	575,271	32,211
155	MALAVA	67,242	42,893	35,507	(7,386)
169	KIMILILI	87,641	56,312	56,321	9
177	FUNYULA	38,147	26,991	28,353	1,362
	SUB TOTAL	193,030	83,303	120,181	(6,015)
203	BOMACHOGE	70,590	38,484	45,725	7,241
205	NYARIBARI MASABA	54,466	31,359	33,357	1,998
208	KITUTU MASABA	80,882	52,824	54,746	1,922
209	WEST MUGIRANGO	68,242	40,865	45,261	4,396
	SUB TOTAL	274,180	163,532	179,089	15,557
	TOTALS	4,334,817	2,789,984	3,026,710	193,833