16 April 2008
Kenya’s New Coalition Government Is Important Step Forward
United States urges rival leaders to cooperate on institutional reforms
Washington -- The Bush administration welcomes an announcement by Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki and opposition leader Raila Odinga that they have agreed on a coalition Cabinet to share power.
The U.S. State Department described the development as a courageous decision to move the country forward following the violence that occurred after the December 27, 2007, election.
In an April 13 statement, State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said the formation of Kenya’s new Cabinet, which divides 40 posts between parties allied to Kibaki’s Party of National Unity (PNU) and Odinga's Orange Democratic Movement (ODM), is “an important step along the road toward full implementation of the political accord.”
Former U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan brokered a power-sharing deal between the political rivals in February but the PNU and ODM did not agree on how Cabinet posts would be divided until April 13. (See “Kenyan Leaders Urged to Resume Talks on Coalition Government.”)
After the opposition party charged the December 2007 vote was rigged in favor of the sitting government, violence swept through the country, especially in January and February, killing 1,500 people and forcing 600,000 to flee their homes.
Under the power-sharing agreement, Kibaki will continue to serve as president, while Odinga will become Kenya’s new prime minister.
McCormack urged both President Kibaki and Prime Minister-designate Odinga to maintain the momentum of national reconciliation by quickly carrying out institutional reforms “particularly with respect to revision of the constitution, reform of the electoral process, and land issues.”
The United States remains a “strong friend and partner,” McCormack said, and will provide strong support to Kenya’s coalition government “as it works to strengthen democratic institutions and expand prosperity for the benefit of all Kenyans.”
