22 MPs to face court battles�

Less� than a fortnight since the 10th Parliament was sworn in, some of its members are already facing petitions challenging their election. At least 22 election petitions challenging the election of some of the 206 MPs have been filed.

The constituencies whose elections are disputed and are being challenged in court include Kajiado North, Embakasi, Juja, Makadara, Ndhiwa, Sirisia, Starehe, Mandera Central, Kitutu Masaba, Garsen, Ndia, Eldama Ravine, Bomachoge, Dagoretti, Kisumu Town West, Matuga, Gatundu North, Ikolomani, Malava, Kitui Central, Dujis and Naivasha.

Despite the scant history of success in electoral petitions, losers in the just-concluded polls seem ready to contest the election of their opponents.�

Election petitions have always been a tricky affair in Kenya.�

Twenty five petitions were filed after the 2002 elections, of which 12 were struck down. At least 10 other petitions remained unresolved as Kenyans went to the polls in the 2007 General Election.�

The first petition was filed against the newly appointed minister for Foreign Affairs Moses Wetangula as the MP for Sirisia by ODM loser John Koyi Waluke. Mr Waluke claims to have won the election with over 400 votes, but the returning officer overturned the result in favour of the minister.

Other petitions against political heavyweights include one challenging the election of Internal Security minister George Saitoti. Politician Moses Sakuda wants the court to declare the election of Prof Saitoti null and void, claiming it was marred by irregularities.

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I didn�t offer Raila PM post, says Kibaki�

President Kibaki has denied that he had offered ODM leader Raila Odinga the post of prime minister.�

The President said such an appointment would be a constitutional matter.

�Currently, there is no provision in the Kenyan Constitution for the office of prime minister,� said a statement from the Presidential Press Service sent to newsrooms.

The President was reacting to remarks by Mr Odinga� that he will never take up the post of prime minister in Mr Kibaki�s government.�

The ODM leader was answering a question by journalists on Friday, as to whether he would take up the post in a Kibaki-led government.

�I have never said I was considering taking up a position of prime minister under Kibaki,� he said.

The creation of a prime minister�s post has been floated as one of the options to incorporate Mr Odinga in the government following an election dispute in which ODM rejected the announcement of Mr Kibaki as the winner of the presidential election.

Mr Odinga said the only options for discussion were the resignation of President Kibaki and a re-run of the presidential election at a later date under a transitional government.

However, the PPS statement described the Odinga story, which appeared on the front page of the Saturday Nation,� as misleading.�

It added that President Kibaki was open to dialogue and welcomed his meeting with Mr Odinga last Thursday, organised by the former UN secretary general, Mr Kofi Annan, at the Office of the President.

�The Head of State wishes to see Kenyan leaders give the initiative by Kofi Annan a chance,� the statement added.

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Musikari Kombo, of Ford-K dismisses calls for election re-run.

Ford Kenya party has dismissed calls for an immediate re-run of the presidential election saying the situation in the country is too tense.

In a statement read by Party National chairman Musikari Kombo, the party further said it supports the ongoing mediation process spearheaded by the former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan which they say is the only way out of the political stalemate.

In a press briefing at the party headquarters, Ford Kenya however cautioned against quick fix solutions to the political impasse, saying Annan’s mediation efforts should also set a road map to facilitate the completion of the constitution review process.

This they said will ensure a lean and independent Electoral Commission of Kenya.

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This means Kibaki cannot offer Raila Odinga this position to nurse the wounds after the disputed elections.

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P.M. position is a constitutional issue

Written By:pps

<Annan and Raila meeting Sunday.

Former U.N. chief Kofi Annan met opposition leader Raila Odinga Sunday at a Nairobi to try to mediate an end to a month-long crisis that has killed 750.

On Thursday, Annan brokered the first talks between the two men since the troubles began, raising hopes.

But the discussions prompted fresh verbal attacks by both camps, and that night Nakuru, the Rift’s provincial capital, descended into chaos.

Annan Saturday visited other areas in the Rift Valley that have been hit by clashes and warned that turmoil over Kibaki’s disputed re-election had now evolved into something worse with “gross and systematic” rights abuses.

“Let us not kid ourselves and think that this is an electoral problem. It’s much broader and much deeper,” he said.

“We have to tackle the fundamental issues that underlie what we are witnessing today. If we do not do that, three, five years from now we may be back at this.”

The sudden slide of Naivasha and another previously quiet tourist town, Nakuru, into pitched tribal battles has deepened growing anxiety since December 27 polls cast the country into chaos.

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Madrid (Spain) Spanish Foreign Affairs Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos, arrived in Mali on Saturday on th first leg of his four African-nation tour that will take him to Guinea Bissau, DR Congo and Ethiopia, sources has said.

“Spain cannot afford to be absent from Africa, which will be a key international relations stakeholder in the medium term,” Moratinos said.

He added that the tour aims at confirming the results of implementing the “African Plan”, which Spain adopted in May last year.

Spain regards Mali, the first leg of the tour, as “a strategic country” for its external relations.

Moratinos will visit a handicraft training project and commission the Spanish embassy as well as a technical cooperation agency in the West African nation.

He will further meet with his counterpart Moctar Ouane alongside Malian Prime Minister Modibo Sidib�.

Moratinos will later proceed to Guinea Bissau to meet with Prime Minister Martinho Dafa Cabi and Home Affairs as well as Finance and Public Works ministers.

The Guinea Bissau leg will centre on the migratory issue, discuss how to use a comprehensive approach involving development aid in addition to the security component.

The next phase of the tour is Kinshasa, where the Spanish official will evoke Spain�s contribution in the peace process with the local authorities as the country struggles against armed groups.

Moratinos ends his tour in Ethiopia as the AU ordinary session convenes.

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Nairobi(Kenya) Twenty one more people were killed in Nakuru town in Rift valley province on Friday night, despite an overnight curfew that was imposed by the authorities, APA learnt on Saturday.

Some of the victims were hacked to death, the Kenya Broadcasting Corporation television reported on Saturday.

According to the reports, mutilated bodies were found under a bridge in the area on Saturday morning.

More than 100 people were arrested on Friday night, many of them on the streets as police and the military enforced the 7pm to 7 am curfew imposed by the government.

Outgoing Rift Valley Provincial Police chief Everret Wasige said most of those arrested were found �loitering� on the streets while others were picked up from residential estates.

Wasige however, confirmed they (police) had arrested 50 other suspects who were found with machetes and other crude weapons.

KBC reported that many military officers and police officers were seen patrolling the town Saturday morning on main streets and estates where many more people have lost their lives and their houses torched since Thursday.

Earlier Saturday morning, there was chaos where a group of armed youths engaged police in running battles but no casualty was reported.

Police said a group of more than 100 people armed with pangs, bows and arrows had re-grouped ready to cause mayhem before they were dispersed and scores arrested.

�The area remains tense because there are fears the youths may re-group again and cause mayhem,� police said.

Rift valley province has been the most affected by post elections violence with USA based, Human Rights Watch (HCW) warning that opposition leaders are involved in ethnic cleansing targeting President�s Mwai Kibaki�s , Kikuyu community.

So far, more than 500 people have already been killed with the numbers rising dailiy. Already Koffi Annan visited the area on Saturday morning and warned inciters of the violence will be prosecuted at The Hague.

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Nairobi (Kenya) Former United Nations Secretary General, Kofi Annan on Saturday warned those inciting post electoral violence in Kenya that they could be dragged before the International Court of Justice in The Hague to face charges for crime against humanity.

Addressing the press in Nairobi, Annan underscored the need for investigations on the systematic abuse of human rights during which more than 600 people have been killed during electoral violence since last month.

Annan who arrived in Nairobi recently to facilitate dialogue between President Mwai Kibaki and opposition leader, Raila Odinga, early on Saturday visited the hard-hit Rift Valley province.

�We saw a heart-wrecking and systematic abuse of human rights and its important that those responsible to be held accountable�, said Annan.

The Ex-UN chief, appealed to the government to tighten security in the affected regionsn and also compensate victims of the violence.

At least 25 people have been killed in ethnic clashes in Nakuru town in Rift valley since Thursday.

The Kenyan government has so far imposed a dusk-to-dawn curfew on the town in a bid to contain pitched battles between tribal gangs.

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