Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Nairobi (Agenzia Fides) - “This means the end of a nightmare. Thanks be to God, our prayers have been answered,” Fides was told by Fr. Eugenio Ferrari, missionary in Kenya, following the signing of an agreement between President Mwai Kibaki and opposition leader Raila Odinga. “Yesterday, as soon as the news of the agreement was heard, the people went out and danced in the streets. Today, the people cannot speak of anything else. I listen to them with joy and amazement as even the simple folk, discuss the agreement, the importance of peace and the need to give the country a boost in progress and development. They say, ‘Father, with peace, now we can start progressing,’” says the missionary and National Director of the Pontifical Mission Societies in Kenya.
“I cannot deny the fact that it really worried me: if this agreement had never been reached - and I am not alone when I say this, it is expressed by the people in general - Kenya would have witnessed a tragedy worse than Rwanda. The people had already taken up arms, and not just bow and arrows, but firearms, with Kalashnikov rifles from neighboring countries,” Fr. Ferrari explained. The signing of this settlement is fruit of the insistence and patience of Kofi Annan, the mediator on behalf of the international community. The former Secretary General of the UN is an exceptional person: he has not allowed himself to be influenced by the criticism and has known how to seize the moment and place Kibaki and Odinga face-to-face with their responsibilities, halting negotiations and making the two leaders talk it out between themselves,” the missionary states. “Now, we are hoping that the agreement will be respected and applied in the right manner, without any interferences from either party. The newly arranged government will have to confront the root causes of the crisis, the first being the question of farmland properties, which are a major obstacle in establishing peace between ethnic parties,” Fr. Ferrari concluded.
On February 28, President Kibaki and opposition leader Odinga, in front of television cameras and press reporters, signed an agreement that establishes a division of powers. The main points in the settlement include the creation of the role of Prime Minister and ministerial seats will be shared equally by the two parties. Kibaki will remain as Chief of State, while Odinga takes the reigns as Prime Minister, with the responsibility of carrying out the common governmental tasks. Two seats will be created for Vice Premier, split between the majority and the opposition. The Prime Minister and his two Vice-Premiers may be obliged to step down, only if Parliament finds reason of scandal. If the President tries to fire a minister, he can only do so with written consent of the Premier. The coalition will be dissolved at the end of the legislature’s term, in 2012, or prior to that time if there is a written consent by both sides, or if one of the sides backs out of the coalition. (LM) (Agenzia Fides 29/2/2008, righe 37, parole 500)
