U.S. congratulates Kenyan president on re-election amid crimes against humanity

[Al-khiyal]

Kenya rival will lead power-sharing cabinet

NAIROBI, April 13, 2008: President Mwai Kibaki named his rival, Raila Odinga, as prime minister Sunday, implementing a power-sharing deal after protracted negotiations over the agreement they signed more than a month ago.

The two leaders had agreed to share power after weeks of deadly violence following the country's disputed presidential election in December left more than 1,000 people dead and about 300,000 displaced.

The men were expected to announce a new coalition government once Parliament quickly passed laws to legalize the power-sharing deal, but they did not work out how to implement the accord, with both sides trying to secure the most powerful positions in a new cabinet.

Kibaki, speaking in a speech broadcast live on television Sunday, named Musalia Mudavadi, the second in command in Odinga's Orange Democratic Movement, as deputy prime minister.

Also named as a deputy prime minister in the new coalition cabinet is Uhuru Kenyatta, an ally of Kibaki and a son of Kenya's independence hero and first president Jomo Kenyatta.

Kibaki named 40 cabinet ministers in keeping with the number he had agreed with Odinga on April 3, but going against demands by ordinary citizens and lobby groups to announce a lean cabinet.

The cabinet posts are divided equally between Kibaki's Party of National Unity and allied parties, and the Orange Democratic Movement, which is one of the key provisions in the power-sharing deal Kibaki and Odinga signed on February 28.

Kibaki and Odinga had said they would announce a new cabinet on April 6, but they did not do so after failing to reach agreement on how to divide a 40-member cabinet.

Odinga's Orange Democratic Movement party had suspended talks with Kibaki on Tuesday, saying the president must first dissolve the cabinet that existed then and share the posts equally.

The public has grown increasingly impatient with Kibaki and Odinga. For three days this week, scuffles broke out in Kenya's largest slum, Kibera, between the police and people protesting the cabinet delay. There were no reports of injuries.

Kibera was the scene of some of the worst post-election violence in January and February.

Kibaki and Odinga also came under international pressure this week to reach agreement, with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice calling them on Monday and Foreign Secretary David Miliband of Britain expressing dismay at the delay.

[Al-khiyal]

Algeria to help Kenya resettle displaced families

NAIROBI, May 9, 2008 (AFP) — Algeria has pledged to assist Kenya resettle villagers displaced by communal violence that followed disputed elections at the end of last year, the presidency announced Friday.

The pledge came two days after Nairobi appealed for help raising 30 billion shillings (492 million dollars, 319 million euros) to assist the displaced, saying it had only raised one billion shillings (16.4 million dollars,10.6 million euros) so far.

Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika in a message to his Kenyan counterpart, Mwai Kibaki, offered to assist the country, which is also facing acute food shortages, the presidential press service said in a statement.

"The Algerian government has pledged to support the Kenya government in its efforts to resettle the internally displaced persons in the country," it said, adding that the pledge was delivered by Algerian Minister for Maghreb and African Affairs Abdel Kader Messahel.

It did not say how much Algeria will contribute.

The government on Thursday said it had resettled some 60,000 people under a programme, dubbed "Operation Return Home" launched on Monday and that 70,000 others were still in camps.

The violence broke out following December 27 elections which opposition candidate Raila Odinga claimed were rigged by incumbent Kibaki.

The crisis left at least 1,500 people dead and displaced around 300,000.

Some have since returned to their homes but others have continued to face attacks and intimidation, even after the February 28 political deal which saw Odinga join a coalition cabinet and become Kibaki's prime minister.

[Al-khiyal]

L’Algérie offre d'aider le Kenya à reloger les personnes déplacées

Samedi 10 Mai 2008 -- L'Algérie a promis d'aider le Kenya à reloger les villageois qui avaient été forcés de fuir leur foyer en raison des violences inter-ethniques à la fin de 2007, a annoncé la présidence kényane vendredi. La promesse a été faite après que Nairobi eut lancé un appel pour un montant de 30 milliards de shillings (492 millions de dollars, 319 millions d'euros) pour aider au retour dans leur foyer des familles déplacées, alors que le pays n'avait pu collecter qu'un milliard de shillings (16,4 millions de dollars,10,6 millions d'euros).

Le président algérien Abdelaziz Bouteflika a adressé un message en ce sens au chef de l'Etat kenyan, Mwai Kibaki, a annoncé le service de presse de la présidence kényane, précisant que le message avait été remis par le ministre algérien délégué aux Affaires maghrébines et africaines Abdelkader Messahel. Cependant aucun montant de l'aide algérienne n'a été fourni.

Selon les autorités, quelque 60.000 personnes sont concernées par le programme de retour dans leurs foyers tandis que quelque 70.000 sont toujours hébergées dans des camps.

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