Kenyans agree to a 50-50 GOVT

[Faarax-Brawn]

I wish Somalis could put the country first. Kenyans,have finally agreed to a power sharing deal.

 

Annan: “We have agreed”

 

Story by LUCAS BARASA and CHURCHILL OTIENO

Publication Date: 2/28/2008

Chief mediator Kofi Annan has emerged from a high-level meeting on the Kenya crisis to say “we have an agreement”.

 

 

 

Africa Union chairman, President Jakaya Kikwete of Tanzania chaired a meeting with Mr Annan and rivals President Kibaki and Raila Odinga that lasted from 10am to 3pm at Nairobi’s Harambee House.

 

 

 

Mr Annan told journalists soon after the meeting that they had managed to agree and that details would be made public in about an hour.

 

 

 

He said the parties were also expected to sign a document spelling out the agreement later today. A desk is already in place on the lobby of Harambee House in what seems to be preparations for a signing ceremony.

 

 

 

The two sides have until today disagreed on how to structure a coalition Government. President Kibaki maintains he is ready to appoint a Prime Minister and two deputies, but under the current Constitution.

 

 

 

The Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) insists any power sharing arrangement must be cemented through relevant Constitutional changes. They also want the PM to be named head of Government and the President to be head of State, and equal sharing of Cabinet positions, among others.

 

 

 

Also at the meeting was former Tanzanian President Benjamin Mkapa, who sits with Mr Annan in the Panel of Eminent African personalities who have been driving the mediation since January. The third panellist is former South African first lady Graca Machel, however she did not attend today’s meeting.

 

 

 

Both President Kibaki and Mr Odinga arrived at the venue of the talks accompanied by some of their negotiators, but it is not yet clear whether they were allowed into today’s meeting.

 

 

 

Those at the venue include the Government negotiating team that include Cabinet ministers Martha Karua (Justice), Moses Wetangula (Foreign Affairs), Prof Sam Ongeri (Education) and Mbooni MP Mutula Kilonzo. They were joined by Local Government minister Uhuru Kenyatta and Attorney General Amos Wako.

 

 

 

Mr Odinga arrived with his negotiators Musalia Mudavadi, James Orengo, Dr Sally Kosgei and Mvita MP Najib Balala.

 

 

 

President Kikwete arrived in Nairobi on Tuesday soon after Mr Annan suspended the mediation talks that had being going on at Nairobi’s Serena Hotel. The decision came after the Government and the ODM negotiators failed to compromise on how to create a Prime Minister position, seen as key in the structure of power sharing arrangement.

 

 

 

The Tanzanian President initially planned to depart Nairobi yesterday but extended his visit by a day.

 

 

 

Local and international pressure is on President Mwai Kibaki and Mr Odinga to compromise on a power-sharing agreement.

 

 

 

Kenya was thrown into a political crisis after Kibaki was declared the winner of a disputed December 27 presidential election.

 

 

 

Violence that followed the announcement resulted in the death of more than 1,000 people and left over 350,000 others displaced.

[Malika]

^Do you think there was that much concern and interference from other African leaders when Somalia was at its earliest stages of collapsing Or was Somalia left to its own accord?

 

Or could it be that AU has just resently found confidence in dealing with African affairs, or was the former OAU not compitent enough to deal with then raving mad Somalis'[still are...joke,haye]

 

Saying that I applaud the intervention of these African leader,finally some sort of true pan africanism coming through..

[Ibtisam]

^^^^African countries/leaders were not as mature in the 90's as they are now. They did not have the capacity to deal with the madness that was and is Somalia.

 

Kenyan's and Somali clan structure differ, although both have always had inter clan wars, Somalis are on a level of their own.

 

I’m glade Kenya is not joining in the chaos that is horn.

 

Malika the AU was and still is useless and ineffective.

[Faarax-Brawn]

Originally posted by Malika:

^Do you think there was that much concern and interference from other African leaders when Somalia was at its earliest stages of collapsing Or was Somalia left to its own accord?

 

Or could it be that AU has just resently found confidence in dealing with African affairs, or was the former OAU not compitent enough to deal with then raving mad Somalis'[still are...joke,haye]

 

Saying that I applaud the intervention of these African leader,finally some sort of true pan africanism coming through..

Yes & Yes. Not only did African countries come to them,the ENTIRE world came to Somalis rescue. But,thats long gone. Whats more important is that Kenyans,showed maturity,patriotism & love for their country. Something of course,Somalis lack. You need to put the country first,the people & then EGos last.

 

Ibtisam,i do agree though,African countries were not as mature. We were led by dictators,who of course were put in place by western powers.

 

Lets see where it leads us though,a stable Kenya is Good for Somalia

[Malika]

^Ibti,did you have to crush my romantic notions of pan africanism..

 

FB,It will require a great deal of self awareness of our core problem for us to ever surface from this nightmare.A love of a country/people steems from love of humility/God and so forth...

 

Bravo! for the Kenyas to come to an agreement,but they do seriously need to work on their tribalist mentality that came to surface in these events.

[xiinfaniin]

This is a good development. Cooler heads have indeed prevailed!

 

ps--One can’t compare Somalis with Kenyans; Somalis are primitive with their attitude toward governance! Kenyans are not!

[Ibtisam]

A stable Kenya is good for Africa as whole and the economic development of East Africa.... That and the fact I need a home close to home.

 

FB: Kenyans had more to lose than Somali's, from what I understand most of the ones creating the civil unrest hadaab were the shaqaalaan youngsters in the slums and those seeking revenge for wars centuries ago. The majority of Kenyans just wanted to get on with live.

 

Malika better I do it than anyone else.

 

I agree with Xiin on that.

[Faarax-Brawn]

Originally posted by Ibtisam:

A stable Kenya is good for Africa as whole and the economic development of East Africa....

That and the fact I need a home close to home.

 

FB: Kenyans had more to lose than Somali's, from what I understand most of the ones creating the civil unrest hadaab were the shaqaalaan youngsters in the slums and those seeking revenge for wars centuries ago. The majority of Kenyans just wanted to get on with live.

 

Malika better I do it than anyone else.

 

I agree with Xiin on that.

L0L@young shaqo la'an kids. Do you have Kikuyu freinds? It was more than that dear.

 

Malika,Tribalism is not the problem, it was years of negligence & inequalities. People can only be tolerant for so long ya know? When for over 40years,only a few select people from one region get to eat the cake,of course,ppl will revolt. Change,as you know,had to come.

[Malika]

^But we did see the uglyness of tribalism in Kenya of recent,so it must have been silently brewing then..

 

Ofcourse,change should have come along time ago,but lets see what Raila will be all about,will he fulfill his promise to the people..we shall see!

 

Yaa should be like TZ,we are more tolerant,calm and collective people.. despite our one party ruling since independence,we have sucessfully managed to get rid of Tribalism.

[Fabregas]

Kenya is too civilized, they're not tribalists like Somalis? yeah right!

[xiinfaniin]

^^^Believe me Somalis are wild beasts when it comes to authority! They are entrepreneurial in spirit but lack patience for organizational growth. They are politically mature yet too segmented and tribal to capitalize on that natural tendency.

 

Kenyans are everything that Somalis are not! Civilized. Educated. Peaceful. And their leaders are wise enough to accept compromised settlements for the current political crisis.

 

Xadhaarah is taqaddum. And taqqaddum yaa camel boy requires a measure of istiqraar and amni. Somalis don’t appreciate both!

[Fabregas]

Saxiib, I don't buy those generlisations about Kenyans. A whole load of people got heated up about the tribal cleansing and many appeared easily incited. The thing that led to this compromise was probably the emergency styl meetings and intiatives set up by Kofi Anan( and Americans), as well the existence of a strong state. It would have been interesting if the government refused to negotiate with the opposition and the Americans declared the opposition as terrorists.........Afrikaan kuraas loo balan qadey baad leedihin waa civilized.......

[xiinfaniin]

^^come again.

 

Leadership matters. That’s what you lack as a Somali and Kenyans have. You are no equals. Swallow that with camel milk!

[Fabregas]

I am not interested in a competitive comparison between SOmalis and Kenyans. I don't just don't buy the over-emotional glorification of Kenyan civilization. Their leaders were ready to use the masses as cannon fodder to gain political power. Furthermore, some segments of their community were easily incited, civilized eh? If anything much credit goes the international players that operated behind the scenes to get the to sides to agree,rather then their desire or love for their country!

[xiinfaniin]

^^These leaders could’ve said no and continued instigating the violence. The fact they accepted to compromise is commendable, and reflects that they are better leaders then ours. If you don’t appreciate that, adeer I do. If any one knows what the price of instability is it must Somalis. Yet they can’t even talk to each other let alone compromise on something, and that’s must a measure of something adeer.