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Kenya opposition calls 3 days of protest
2008-01-11
Kenya's main opposition party said Friday it plans three days of mass rallies next week to protest President Mwai Kibaki's disputed re-election, which has sparked waves of deadly violence across the East African nation. The African Union president, who had been trying to mediate a compromise between the opposition leader Raila Odinga and Kibaki, left Kenya on Friday after failing to persuade the two even to meet. More than 500 people have died in protests and ethnic violence since the Dec. 27 elections and ensuring vote tally that foreign observers say was rigged. The election returned Kibaki to power for another five-year term; Odinga came in second. Police have banned all rallies since the violence broke out, and have used tear gas, water cannons and live bullets fired over people's heads to block previous attempts to assemble. "Kenyans are entitled to protest peacefully at this blatant violation of their fundamental rights," Anyang Nyongo, secretary-general of the Orange Democratic Movement, said in announcing rallies in more than 20 locations on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Tony Gachoka, spokesman for the opposition party, said earlier that the protest call was a response to the failure of the African Union mediation. "Due to the large numbers of people expected we request the police to provide us with security," ODM said in a statement. Police spokesman Eric Kiraithe said he will announce a decision about the rally request by Wednesday "based on the intelligence reports we receive." Both sides traded blame Thursday for the political deadlock. According to the government, Kibaki "offered dialogue," but Odinga was not responsive. Odinga said Kibaki refused to sign an agreement to establish an interim coalition government and conduct an inquiry into the Electoral Commission of Kenya. A government spokesman acknowledged Kibaki had not signed, saying he was not involved in the consultations. Odinga has said he would meet Kibaki only in the presence of an international mediator. Kibaki wants direct talks. Hopes for a power-sharing compromise dimmed when Kibaki's allies were sworn in Thursday as Cabinet ministers. The European Union, the United States and Britain have been pressing for Kibaki and Odinga to meet. Britain has not recognized the new government of Kenya, and for that to happen the Kenyan government would have to "clearly represent a credible expression of the will of the people," British Foreign Secretary David Miliband told reporters in London on Thursday. Kenya is crucial to the war on terrorism, having turned over dozens of people to the U.S. and Ethiopia as suspected terrorists. It also allows American forces to operate from Kenyan bases and conducts joint exercises with U.S. troops in the region. The U.S. is a major donor to Kenya, long seen as a stable democracy in a region that includes war-ravaged Somalia and Sudan. Aid amounts to roughly $1 billion a year, the U.S. Embassy said. Another blow was dealt to the credibility of the results when the disgraced electoral commission chairman denied responsibility for an official advertisement in leading newspapers detailing the tally of those results by constituency. "I did not submit this report or authorize my name to be used for its publication," Samuel Kivuiti was quoted as saying in Friday's edition of The Standard newspaper. He questioned the timing of the three-page advertisement, wondering why his commission had "rushed" to publication. "It seems like some outside force has pushed for its publication," he said. Kivuiti had declared Kibaki the official victor in the race but then said he was not sure that the incumbent had won and that he had made the announcement under a lot of pressure. ___ Associated Press writers Michelle Faul and Malkhadir M. Muhumed contributed to this report from Nairobi. ___ On the Web: Kenya government: http://www.communication.go.ke/ Kenya government Web site Electoral Commission of Kenya: http://www.eck.or.ke
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