Kenyan president approves bills to enact power-sharing deal
Wednesday, 19 Mar 2008 12:22
The bills were passed at the Kenyan parliament on Tuesday
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Kenya's president Mwai Kibaki has passed two bills that put into place a power-sharing deal that MPs hope will bring an end to violent unrest in the country.
The constitution of Kenya (amendment) bill and the national accord and reconciliation bill were passed unanimously at a session of parliament on Tuesday.
Mr Kibaki and rival opposition leader Raila Odinga both attended the session in Nairobi.
"The signing into law of the bill by the president will pave the way for the creation of the posts of prime minister and two deputy prime ministers as required by the envisioned grand coalition," the president's office said.
Yesterday's action was a key step in implementing the power-sharing deal agreed by Mr Kibaki and Mr Odinga – who is due to become Kenya's prime minister – on February 28th.
It is hoped that the deal will bring an end to the violence that broke out across the country after Mr Kibaki declared that he had retained power in presidential elections in December.
The result was fiercely challenged by Mr Odinga's Orange Democratic Movement which alleged the voting was rigged.
"We are now confident a permanent solution to the crisis will be achieved," Mr Kibaki said in parliament on Tuesday.
"A time has come for us to hold a national ethnic conference where we will have representatives from all the 42 tribes in the country come together to discuss openly how we want to lead this country," Mr Odinga added.
The power-sharing deal was reached by the party leaders last month after weeks of negotiations mediated by the former UN secretary-general Kofi Annan.