Kenyan president urges parliament to pass peace deal
Mwai Kibaki and Raila Odinga have agreed to share power
Thursday, 06, Mar 2008 05:28
Kenyan president Mwai Kibaki has urged the country's parliament to pass into law a power-sharing deal that would end the violence that has swept through the nation.
The African country has been crippled by violence sparked by the controversial presidential elections in December.
At the state opening of parliament in Nairobi today, Mr Kibaki said: "Kenyans need to hear and be reassured by their political leader that they can live, own property, and do business in any part of the country without fear of prejudice, harassment or persecution.
"In this regard, we propose to bring to the house a comprehensive policy and accompanying legislation that will ensure that the threat to our national security and social cohesion caused by negative ethnicity is neutralised for the wellbeing of our country."
Last week Mr Kibaki and opposition leader Raila Odinga signed a peace agreement, calling an end to two months of violence, and making Mr Odinga the country's prime minister, a post that does not currently exist.
Hundreds of people have died in the bitter protests against the December election result, which Mr Kibaki claimed he had won.
Kenyan parliament's speaker Kenneth Marende urged MPs today to "stand tall and try to make Kenyans proud".
He also claimed that it was the electoral commission who had caused the national crisis.
"The genesis of the problem that afflicted the nation would appear to have its epicentre at the electoral commission headquarters," Mr Marende said.