Surprise talks for unity between Kenyan rivals
NAIROBI: Kenya’s president and opposition leader announced on Friday they would work together to unite the country, which has been divided along ethnic lines following last year’s disputed elections.
President Uhuru Kenyatta and former prime minister Raila Odinga spoke after holding discussions, the first talks between the two since the elections sparked widespread turmoil.
The Kenyan leaders agreed that their meeting was not the result of pressure from Western countries. “This is a purely domestic initiative,” Odinga’s spokesperson, Dennis Onyango, said.
The Kenyan politicians’ initiative to bring the country together was welcomed by US secretary of state Rex Tillerson, who arrived in Nairobi on Friday to start a threeday visit.
“This is a very positive step in our view, and while we know addressing Kenya’s ethnic and political divisions will take some time and effort, today both of these men showed great leadership in coming together,” Tillerson said after meeting Kenyatta.
UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres sent former Nigerian president Olusegun Obasanjo to Kenya in January to try to mediate the political crisis. “We hope that our role played even a bit part in anything that moves in the right direction,” Guterres spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said.
Kenyatta and Odinga met publicly at a funeral service where they shook hands earlier this year, but did not have talks. “The time has come for us to confront and resolve our differences,” said Odinga. – AP/ African News Agency (ANA)