Kenya President Says No Recount, or Vote
By KATY POWNALL,Associated Press
Posted: 2008-01-09 15:12:46
KISUMU, Kenya (AP) - President Mwai Kibaki, addressing countrymen who had to flee blazing homes and rampaging mobs armed with machetes and arrows in Kenya's seething political turmoil, defiantly rejected demands Wednesday for a new election or vote recount.
Violence set off by opposition claims that Kibaki stole the Dec. 27 presidential election raged on, causing a new exodus of refugees, and there was little sign of softening by the president or his chief rival, Raila Odinga.
More than 500 people have died in violence that in some areas pits other tribes against Kibaki's Kikuyu, the dominant people in politics and business in this East African nation.
The vote "is finished and anybody who thinks they can turn it around should know that it's not possible and it will never be possible," Kibaki told a crowd in the western town of Burnt Forest, his first trip to a trouble spot since bloodshed erupted two days after the disputed ballot.
Speaking in Swahili, his tone was much sharper than in his official statements to the press, in which he focused on dialogue and harmony. He repeated his call for any allegations of election fixing to be settled in court. Kenya's high court is filled with Kibaki appointees.
Kibaki urged the thousands of refugees camped at a school in Burnt Forest not to abandon their land.
"Do not be afraid. The government will protect you," he said. "Nobody is going to be chased from where they live."
But that already has happened to an estimated 255,000 Kenyans.
On Wednesday, women with suitcases on their heads and frightened children grabbing at their skirts searched for transport to get away from Kisumu, the main western town where Odinga has strong support and those seen as government supporters have been attacked.
On the road to Nairobi, the capital, dozens of angry youths brandishing sticks burned tires to block the route. "If elections fail, violence prevails!" they shouted.
People lined up in the poorest Nairobi slums to wait for food aid, because violence has cut off regular supplies of food and water. Hundreds gathered in the Kibera slum turned rowdy as volunteers tried to hand out food, and several men stole sacks of corn flour.
"There are some boys there taking all the food," said Eunice Ochien, 21, who was pushed out of line. "It isn't fair."
The election dispute has brought chaos to a country long considered one of Africa's most stable democracies.
The chairman of the African Union, Ghanian President John Kufuor, was in Kenya trying to mediate a settlement, with support from the U.S. and Britain. But it was unclear he was making any progress in easing the anger and distrust dividing Kibaki and Odinga.
There were indications Wednesday that Kibaki hoped to resolve the crisis through direct talks with the opposition. After Kibaki meant with the AU envoy, the government issued a statement saying Kibaki "assured President Kufuor that he had already initiated a process of dialogue with other Kenyan leaders."
The opposition, however, insists it will not negotiate without African Union mediation.
The president also angered the opposition on Tuesday by filling several Cabinet posts with his allies. Salim Lone, a spokesman for Odinga's party, called the Cabinet announcement "a slap in the face" and said it was meant to undermine AU-mediated talks.
After meeting with Kufuor on Wednesday, Odinga said he told the statesman: "We want peace to return to our country ... There cannot be lasting peace without justice."
In a statement issued Wednesday, Kibaki said he was "committed to dialogue with all parties" and indicated there still was room for Odinga's party in his Cabinet, which has half its seats unfilled.
"It is envisioned that this government will be established as a result of a constructive and inclusive dialogue. Nothing is ruled out in this process," Kibaki's statement said.
Odinga's party won 95 parliament seats and Kibaki's party got 43 in legislative elections held the same day as the presidential ballot, meaning it will be difficult for Kibaki to govern without making some overture to Odinga.
According to a Kenyan government Web site, Kibaki won 4,584,721 votes, or 47 percent, and Odinga got 4,352,993, or 44 percent.