WEDNESDAY, 3.00PM
HOPES of an end to recent political violence in Kenya rose on Wednesday as President Daniel arap Moi met leaders of the parliamentary opposition after opening dialogue on reforms with religious leaders.
The first meeting between the autocratic Moi and Christian and Muslim leaders came on Tuesday at State House in Nairobi as students again clashed with riot police in the streets of the capital. The Roman Catholic church accused the government of “progressive genocide” after police opened fire on July 7 on demonstrators calling for constitutional reforms before the elections, resulting in the death of at least 13 people.
Opposition leaders earlier vowed to make Kenya ungovernable if the constitution is not amended before the elections, but on Monday they proposed the immediate establishment of a broad-based national consultative council to discuss a timetable for amending the constitution. That was interpreted as a conciliatory move, and on Tuesday Moi and the religious leaders agreed the government should look at Kenya’s legislative and administrative framework “to ensure a free and fair general election,” with the religious leaders making proposals. They also agreed to meet again “frequently,” to discuss a mechanism for amending the constitution, and the timetable.
Many opposition politicians are starting to back off from confrontation, apparently fearing this east African nation could go the way of many of its neighbours and become embroiled in widespread fighting fuelled by political and tribal animosities. Moi and parliamentary opposition leader Michael Kijana Wamalwa, the chairman of the FORD-Kenya party, on Tuesday discussed “the possibility of constitutional reform,” KTN television reported. The unregistered Safina (Noah’s Ark) party, long at loggerheads with Moi, even suggested in a statement onTuesday that his term, and the government’s, be extended by two years to provide for a comprehensive review and reform of the constitution.
Moi said in January 1995 that he would amend the constitution later that year with the aid of constitutional experts offered by foreign countries, but he subsequently changed his mind and declared it would be amended only after the elections. Opposition politicians want key changes first, followed by a complete review. The main problem is virtually unfettered presidential power, with the parliament seen as a rubber-stamp.