allAfrica.com: Kenya: Annan Pleads for Grand Coalition Government (Page 1 of 2)

Former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan Tuesday hinted at a grand coalition government to end Kenya's post election crisis, but the move was immediately challenged by the Government.

Mr Annan said the tradition all over the world was to join the two sides in the conflict in one government to enact reforms that will pave the way for free and fair polls.

"A coalition government is an open option when a country is in a crisis and right now we are faced with a serious political crisis. The two sides come together and commit to sort out issues such as constitutional reforms and then organise an election," he told MPs during an informal sitting at Old Parliament Chambers.

But the statement was immediately challenged by the Government, with Justice and Constitutional Affairs minister Martha Karua, who is the team leader, saying a coalition government had neither been discussed nor agreed on at the talks.

Inaccurate statement

"My team is alarmed at some serious inaccurate statement made by Your Excellency at the briefing of parliamentarians today. Namely you stated that 'the dialogue team had agreed to have a transitional government for two years after which we shall hold Presidential elections' which position has not been discussed or agreed upon," Ms Karua told Mr Annan.

The Government summoned its MPs to a Parliamentary Group Meeting, chaired by Vice-President Kalonzo Musyoka to discuss Mr Annan's remarks.

Mr Musyoka later said the Government side had only proposed establishment of a Truth, Justice and Reconciliation Commission, committee to investigate the truth behind the 2007 General Election, among others as a way to unlock the crisis.

More than 1,000 people have died as a result of the disputed Presidential election and more than 350,000 displaced in six weeks of violence.

Meanwhile, President George W. Bush and UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon will discuss Kenya's post-election crisis in Washington on Friday.

In Nairobi, Mr Annan asked leaders to cast aside their partisan interests to reach an acceptable decision.

Tradition the world over, he told MPs at special Kamukunji called to brief them on the status of the mediation process, was to join the two sides in the conflict in one government to enact reforms that will pave the way for free and fair polls.

He went on: "The country is deeply divided because of the contested election results and our duty is to bring the parties together to work closely to heal the underlying problems."

However, Government MPs said that they had been informed by their representatives at the talks that they were yet to agree on a coalition of PNU and ODM as the political cure to the crisis.

Government team

A member of the Government team at the talks, Mbooni MP Mutula Kilonzo, told reporters that some of the issues which Mr Annan had referred to had not been agreed by the mediation team.

"Some of the things the chairman has announced have not been agreed upon but we are on top of things and we will continue negotiating. But we cannot negotiate under pressure because all negotiations are based on principles. The dialogue process is not about creating jobs for people and I am genuinely interested in peace," he said.

Government MPs immediately went into a parliamentary group meeting at County Hall to discuss the matter while the mediation team retreated to a secret location to finalise the deal. They rejected the proposals of a coalition government and elections after two years.

Guiding the mediation

Mr Annan, former South Africa First Lady Graca Machel and former Tanzania President Benjamin Mkapa are guiding the mediation talks to which Government and ODM appointed four representatives each.

The Government is represented by Cabinet ministers Martha Karua, Sam Ongeri, Moses Wetang'ula and Mr Kilonzo while the ODM delegation is made up of MPs Musalia Mudavadi, William Ruto, Sally Kosgei and James Orengo.

During the meeting Tuesday, Mr Annan took the MPs through the steps they have covered in the mediation process among them meeting President Kibaki and ODM leader Raila Odinga, visits to affected areas in Molo and Cherangany and the status of the talks.

He said they had explored the options of Presidential vote re-tallying, re-counting, a re-run of the elections and immediate polls and come to a conclusion that the only viable solution to the crisis was a political settlement.

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