The Nation (Nairobi)

Kenya: Raila - New Cabinet On Hold

25 March 2008


Nairobi — Prime Minister designate Raila Odinga has emerged from a meeting with President Kibaki to say they were not ready yet to name a coalition Cabinet.

Mr Odinga told journalists they had covered a bit of ground but more consultations was needed.

Asked when he expected the new Cabinet to be announced, Mr Odinga replied "I don't know.

The Orange Democratic Movement leader said consultations will continue on structure of a coalition Government.

President Kibaki and Mr Odinga went into a meeting at 11am to refine a new Cabinet under their power sharing deal.

Mr Odinga arrived at President Kibaki's Harambee House office at 11am and left at 1.30pm.

The two leaders are required to jointly name ministers under the national accord brokered by former UN secretary general Kofi Annan.

The accord says that the Party of National Unity and the Orange Democratic Movement should to enter into a coalition taking into account portfolio balance and reflecting relative parliamentary strength.

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Parliament last week unanimously passed the accord into law, embedding it in the Constitution and clearing the way for its implementation.

The African Union and the international community were forced to intervene to help Kenyan leaders strike a peace deal after the disputed December 27 presidential election resulted in weeks of protests and violence that left more than 1,000 people dead and about 350,000 displaced.

President Kibaki and Mr Odinga finally signed a pact on February 28, after two months of negotiations.

The deal was officially witnessed by Mr Annan and Tanzania's President Jakaya Kikwete, who is also the Africa Union chairman.

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