Alfred Wasike
19 January 2008
Kampala — PRESIDENT Yoweri Museveni is scheduled to travel to Kenya on Tuesday to mediate between President Mwai Kibaki and his main challenger, Raila Odinga of the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM).
The President's advance team arrived in Nairobi last night.
"As chairman of the East African Community and the Commonwealth, President Museveni will early next week travel to Kenya to talk to the parties with a view to ending the violence," foreign affairs minister Sam Kutesa told a press conference in Kampala yesterday. Since violence erupted over the disputed presidential elections, Museveni has been talking to both Kibaki and Odinga "in the spirit of good neighbourliness and based on the historical bonds between the two peoples", he said.
Only last week, the President met the ODM secretary general, Prof Anyang' Nyong'o, at his home in Rwakitura, Kutesa revealed. "President Museveni has also been in constant consultation with other leaders in the region on the situation." The situation in Kenya not only affected Kenyans but also
Ugandans and the entire region, he noted. He recalled that both countries enjoyed excellent relations and co-operated closely in several regional organisations. "Uganda cannot, therefore, engage in any activity that would go against this spirit (of good relations)."
The minister strongly denied rumours that Ugandan soldiers had been involved in the quelling of protests in the western town of Kisumu, which had fuelled anti-Ugandan sentiments.
"The Government wishes to assure our brothers and sisters in Kenya that there is no truth in the allegations that Uganda interfered in the Kenyan electoral process or that it deployed or intends to deploy troops in Kenya," he stressed.
On the contrary, he argued, Uganda was hosting a number of Kenyan refugees and was doing everything possible to ensure their safety and welfare.
He appealed to the Kenyan government and public to stop all attacks on Ugandans and Ugandan goods in transit. Kutesa also advised Ugandans living in Kenya to register with the Uganda High Commission in Nairobi.
Museveni's mediation offer comes as ethnic violence flared up again in Kenya's Rift Valley region.
Five people were killed by opposition supporters yesterday in a refugee camp in Kipkelion. "A group of armed warriors attacked a village, leaving five people dead," said Rift Valley provincial police officer Everett Wasige. "These were refugees in a camp, people thought to have supported Kibaki."
About 650 people have been killed in ethnic clashes, mainly targeting members of Kibaki's Kikuyu tribe, and in police action against banned protests, mainly involving members of Odinga's Luo tribe.
Meanwhile Kenya's opposition yesterday said it would resume protests next week, just having finished three days of demonstrations in which at least 23 people died. The decision came as a reversal after Odinga on Friday said his party would take its fight off the streets and use other channels, including talks with African leaders and economic boycotts. "We are resuming our peaceful public rallies on Thursday," ODM chairman Henry Kosgey said. "We will use all available means to bring down the Kibaki regime."
Be the first to Write a Comment!
Copyright © 2008 New Vision. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.
AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.
