Catholic Information Service for Africa (Nairobi)
8 April 2008
Nairobi — There were violent protests on Tuesday in Kibera, the capital's largest slum, following the collapse of power-sharing negotiations between President Mwai Kibaki and Prime Minister-designate Raila Odinga.
Rowdy opposition youths chanting slogans lit up fires and barricaded roads, demanding fresh national elections. Businesses quickly closed down and people stayed indoors.
President Kibaki and Odinga agreed to a 40-member Cabinet, but the sharing out of portfolios has been hit by dispute, especially regarding the five ministries of Foreign Affairs, Local Authorities, Cabinet Affairs, Energy and Roads. President Kibaki had announced he would name the Cabinet on Sunday, but failed due to the dispute which continued on Tuesday.
Each side blames the other for the disagreement on Cabinet formation.
At the end of their plenary meeting in Nairobi on Friday, the Catholic bishops of Kenya called for "openness, sincerity and truth" in the process of restoring the country to normalcy.
Meanwhile, the European Union on Monday urged Kibaki and Raila "to maintain the momentum for reconciliation by forming an effective and efficient coalition government as soon as possible that reflects genuine power-sharing between Kenya's parties." The Cabinet is "a key milestone" of the February 28 agreement.
The country is now in the grips of fear of a return to the violence witnessed in January and February in which over 1000 people were killed and some 350, 000 others displaced.
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