7 October 2009
Nairobi — Chief mediator Kofi Annan winds up his three-day visit of Kenya Wednesday with a busy schedule of day-long meetings with various leaders.
Mr Annan held talks with Parliament Speaker Kenneth Marende at 9 a.m before heading into a meeting with Lady Justice Effie Awour. During the talks with the Speaker, Mr Annan commended Parliament and Mr Marende for his role in the reform process.
Mr Marende told Mr Annan that Parliament had played its part by passing the necessary legislation that touch on the reforms.
The Speaker, in particular, cited the Enactment of the Constitution of Kenya (Amendment) Act 2008 that provides the roadmap to review of the Constitution and the referendum.
The constitutional amendment also created the Interim Independent Electoral Commission and the Interim Independent Boundaries Review Commission.
He told Mr Annan that the House had played its part and that the rest were the roles of the other arms of government.
The Speaker proposed that for quick enactment of the new constitution, Kenya should consider the possibility of putting the draft constitution in two parts namely: the largely agreed provisions and the contentious issues. This would provide an opportunity for the people to pass the agreed provisions, which can in turn be implemented as the contentious issues are deliberated upon.
Mr Annan praised the Speaker for making "Solomonic and judicious" decisions that have united Kenyans and saved the country.
He said the international community had goodwill for Kenya and wanted to see the country prosper.
Mr Annan was also expected to meet the chairman of the National Cohesion and Integration commission Mr Mzalendo Kibunja.
Mr Annan was also slated to meet the United Nations Environmental Programme executive director Mr Achim Steiner and the Kenya Red Cross secretary general Abbas Gullet.
In the afternoon, he will hold talks with Kenya principals President Kibaki and Prime Minister Raila Odinga at the former's Harambee House office, Nairobi at 4.15 p.m.
He will then address a news conference at 6.30 p.m at Serena Hotel, Nairobi.
He is scheduled to depart the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport at 8.45 p.m.
Mr Annan, the chairman of the Panel of Eminent African Personalities that brokered a power-sharing agreement last year, is in the country to ask the government to speed up reforms.
The reforms agreed under Agenda 1V include: Land, electoral, police and judicial reforms, eradication of poverty ensuring equity and enactment of a new constitution.
President Kibaki and the PM told Mr Annan that the government prioritise national healing and reconciliation as a way of dealing with post election violence.
The violence that rocked the country after a disputed presidential election left at least 1,300 people dead and 650,000 others displaced.
Those bearing the greatest responsibility for the chaos will be handed over to the International Criminal Court in the Hague, the two leaders told the former UN secretary general at the end of the one hour meeting on Monday.
A statement released by the principals at the end of the talks said: "On the issue of the trial of perpetrators of the post-election violence, the Grand Coalition Government opted to accord priority to reconciliation while leaving the door open for suspects bearing the greatest responsibility over the post-election violence to be tried by the International Criminal Court."
On Tuesday, Mr Annan met representatives of the civil society and religious leaders.
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