11 Western envoys pressure Kenyan

NAIROBI, Kenya — Eleven Western envoys, including those from the United States and Britain, urged Kenya’s opposition leader on Sunday to recognize President Uhuru Kenyatta as the country’s legitimately elected leader.

The diplomats said Raila Odinga needs to accept Kenyatta’s presidency “as the basis for the dialogue that it [the opposition] and many Kenyans want.”

“We are deeply concerned by recent political developments in Kenya. Both the government and the opposition have taken steps that have undermined Kenya’s institutions, and driven wedges among its citizen,” the envoys said in a statement.

Odinga held a mock inauguration Jan. 29 in which he was sworn in as the “people’s president.” The government reacted by shutting down some broadcasters and arresting some participants.