The East African Tribune

Kibaki Postponed India Trip to Finalise Cabinet Row

April 7th, 2008

The East African Tribune
Monday, 07 April, 2008

  Kenya’s president Mwai Kibaki

The East African Tribune learned that, Kenya’s President Mwai Kibaki has cancelled a trip to India on today to try to finalize a deal on a power-sharing cabinet with his main rival after they failed to reach agreement at the weekend.

President Kibaki had been due to join other African leaders at a two-day Africa-India summit starting in New Delhi on Tuesday. But since president Kibaki’s presence is much more needed in the country, he will therefore be represented by the foreign minister Moses Wetangula.

The joint cabinet is the key part of an accord brokered in February to end the East African nation’s worst political crisis — a post-election spasm of riots and ethnic attacks that killed at least 1,200 people and displaced 300,000 more.

The new cabinet line-up was initially due to be announced on Sunday, but Kibaki and opposition leader Raila Odinga failed to agree on dividing up ministries. They said they still expected a deal on Monday after making “substantial progress” in talks.

In a joint statement issued by both Kibaki and Odinga, appealed to Kenyans to stretch more patients as the cabinet row would soon be resolved.

Talks were due to resume later on Monday.

Both sides have been under intense local and international pressure to break a month-long deadlock over the cabinet. On Thursday they said they had agreed on how to share 40 ministerial jobs, but bickering broke out immediately.

Sources on both sides said most of the disagreement involved just a few ministerial posts. Each side will get 20.

One post not in dispute is finance, which means current Finance Minister Amos Kimunya is likely to keep his job.

Entry Filed under: Election