4 March 2008
Nairobi — Respected international negotiator, Prof Oluyemi Adeniji, comfortably stepped into Dr Kofi Annan's big shoes to help unravel and find solutions to some of Kenya's historical injustices and contentious issues, including land.
Like Annan who held the country together for 41 days by remaining focused on key post-election disputes that separated the PNU and ODM leaders and supporters - from Agenda Number One through Three - Kenyans expect Adeniji to come out with lasting solutions to the equally contentious issues on Agenda Four.
On Monday, Adeniji comfortably sat at the head of the mediation table - that had been Annan's workstation for slightly over a month - and focused the attention of the hitherto rival ODM and PNU negotiators on tackling law and constitutional reforms, the establishment of a Truth, Justice and Reconciliation Commission and reforms of constitutional offices.
Some achievements
And at the end of the talks on Monday, Adeniji had something to show for it - it emerged that the much expected roadmap towards a new constitutional order that would pave the way for legal and institutional reforms would be released later Tuesday.
The team - comprising four members each from PNU and ODM - is expected to complete its preliminary work and issue guidelines and terms of reference for the Independent Review Committee that probe the December 27 presidential elections fiasco.
The Adeniji team is also expected to constitute two sub-committees within the Independent body - one dealing with short-term and the other long-term issues.
The short-term committee will report back to the mediation team every three months for action on their recommendations.
And already, it is all systems go after sub-committee leaders were identified - one will be an Argentinean while the other will be a Malawian woman.
Former head of South Africa's Independent Electoral Commission, Judge Christiaan Kriegler, will chair the Review Committee that will investigate all aspects of the presidential elections.
The committee convenes on March 15 and will make its findings and recommendations to help improve the electoral processes in future.
Negotiating on the PNU side are Justice minister Ms Martha Karua, Education minister Prof Sam Ongeri and Mbooni MP Mr Mutula Kilonzo while on the ODM side are ODM deputy leader Mr Musalia Mudavadi, Pentagon member Mr William Ruto, Aldai MP Dr Sally Kosgei and Ugenya MP Mr James Orengo.
On Monday, Mudavadi said the atmosphere at the talks was relaxed and focused on serious issues.
Mudavadi said they hoped to come up with a roadmap by today and then leave the rest of the work to the sub-committees soon to be appointed.
Mutula said they had discussed the establishment of a Truth, Justice and Reconciliation Commission.
"We want a Truth Commission to address the historical injustices and come up with recommendations," he said.
Ruto said major issues were now out of the way and hoped that the establishment of the commission would resolve past injustices.
When the mediation talks started in January, lead mediator Annan zeroed in on the four most important agenda that divided Kenyans down the middle.
Agenda One touched on ending the post-election violence while Agenda Two delved into the humanitarian crisis.
The Annan team then narrowed its focus to the nerve centre of the talks by discussing Agenda Three on the political crisis occasioned by the disputed presidential elections.
Another critical issue is the resettlement of the Internally Displaced Persons.
The negotiating team had suggested the formation of an Independent Compensation Fund, to be managed jointly by ODM and PNU to resettle the displaced.
Reactions flow
Meanwhile, historic pact brokered by Annan continued to draw reactions from the international community, including the World Bank.
Welcoming the power-sharing agreement, the World Bank expressed optimism that it would revive Kenya's stalled reform agenda to spur economic growth and tackle grand corruption and poverty.
Elsewhere in the country, leaders across the political divide focused their attention on the implications of the agreement entered into by President Kibaki and ODM leader Mr Raila Odinga and how it should be translated into law.
A meeting between PNU MPs and those of affiliate parties, chaired by President Kibaki, agreed to fully support the peace accord.
And separately, ODM leader Raila called for trust and goodwill amongst leaders in both ODM and the PNU in a bid to form an equal and just coalition government.
Raila said it was the trust demonstrated by leaders of both parties that would help restore confidence for resettlement of IDPs.
Raila said joint teams would soon be established to ensure the displaced were resettled.
"Success of the partnership will depend on trust and goodwill from the coalition partners," said Raila when he met former Norweigian Prime Minister Kjell Magne Bondevki.
The former PM, who is in the country on the invitation of the United Nations Democratic Institute, shared experiences with Raila on how Norway runs a coalition government.
Bondevki also shared tips on how to interpret policies of the two groups in order to come up with programmes to be implemented by the Grand Coalition Government.
He urged leaders from both ODM and PNU to engage in constant consultation in order to avoid suspicions.
Raila said PNU and ODM would have a joint Parliamentary Group meeting on Thursday to harmonise their party policies.
"We will have separate parliamentary group meetings and after that we will have a joint one to come up with a common programme to develop the country," said Raila.
He said experts had already been identified to harmonise the policies, and expressed optimism that the historic partnership would last.
But he was quick to point out that inexperience in both sides, suspicions brought about by the campaign rivalry and eventually the polarisation owing to the election outcome could pose some challenges to the young partnership.
He dispelled fears that a coalition government would kill the spirit of multiparty democracy, saying backbenchers would keep a constant check on the government.
He also addressed fears that the sharing out of Cabinet positions within ODM would bring about wrangles.
"Even in a football match, there is always the first line up and the reserves who sit on the benches. It does not mean that if you miss a Cabinet position there will be no work for you," he said.
ODM deputy leader Mr Musalia Mudavadi echoed similar sentiments.
The former vice-president asked party supporters not to focus on who gets what position but on structures that would ensure equity in the distribution of the national cake.
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