Kenya: Second opposition MP killed as Annan mediation effort prepares to resume
Opposition MP David Kimutai has been shot dead by a traffic officer. A female companion, also shot, is in ICU. This is the second opposition MP to be killed this week; earlier, Opposition MP Mugabe Were was shot and killed by two gunmen at his house in the Nairobi suburbs. One of the suspects in the killing of Were has been released, and two others are still in custody. The death of Were sparked violent clashes in Nairobi suburbs, and people are fleeing Eldoret in the wake of the death of Kimutai.
The police say that David Too was killed in a domestic dispute unrelated to the political crisis but the opposition call it an “assassination”.
A local police chief says Mr Too was having an affair with the girlfriend of the policeman, who shot them both.
The killing has led to the postponement of peace talks in the capital, Nairobi.
The first substantive talks between government and opposition began earlier on Thursday.
“We have postponed this afternoon’s session and we will work all day tomorrow so that the leaders can attend to urgent matters and call their constituents,” said former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, who is mediating the talks.
The UN Security Council held a closed door briefing on the violence in Kenya, and “called on Kenya’s leaders to do all what is in their power to bring the violence to an end and to restore calm.” A UN situation report yesterday said that
Siasa Duni says that after the shooting of Kimutai
Within minutes of the news reaching Kisumu, gangs of men armed themselves with machetes and set up burning barricades. Businesses shut down and workers began to flee from the town centre. The killing came as negotiators began the first day of talks to resolve the country’s deadly election dispute, and the head of the African Union warned the country was turning to ethnic cleansing, and even genocide. ODM secretary-general Anyang Nyongo said it was “part of an evil scheme” to kill legislators and rob the opposition of its majority in parliament.
Eldoret Deputy Police Chief Gabriel Kuya said the traffic officer had discovered that his girlfriend was having an affair with Too, and chased the two on his motorcycle when he saw them together in a car….
The International Medical Corps temporarily suspended medical services in Eldoret in the wake of the shooting, and will return when the security situation allows.
The overall security situation in Kenya as of 30 January, 2008 is described as tense and volatile but calm, including in the flashpoint towns of Nairobi, Kisumu, Kericho, Eldoret, Naivasha, Nakuru and Molo. The negotiation teams from the Government and the Opposition had no meetings scheduled today but were preparing to meet Thursday and Friday within the framework of the national dialogue process mediated by former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan. The security situation is increasingly affecting the humanitarian operation on-going in Kenya….
Kofi Annan has listed the agenda for mediation, with “immediate action to stop violence and restore fundamental rights and liberties” at the top of the list. The six Kenyan politicians who will join their leaders at the mediation table with Annan have been named. Meanwhile, the African Union turned down a request by the ODM to make its case there.
The US government has sent mixed messages, first referring to the violence in the Rift Valley as “ethnic cleansing,” and later backing off from the claim.
White African relates an email he received from the creator of the Kenyan Mashada site, announcing that Mashada forums have been shut down.
As you may already know, I’ve been having quite a problem regulating Mashada.com, despite having recently hired people to moderate the forums. It is starting to become a reflection of what is going on on the ground in Kenya. I’d hate for it to hinder our current efforts since I’m directly connected to it, therefore I’m having to shut down the forums until further notice. Facilitating civil discussions and debates has become virtually impossible.
I’ll be away from my blog for a couple of days; comments may be delayed in being approved, and I won’t have any Kenya news updates till Sunday or more likely Monday. In the meantime, I’ll remind you of:
February 20th, 2008 at 4:50 am
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On resumption of talks led by Kofi Anan, President Mwai Kibaki ruled out the possibility of accepting any deal that cannot be accommodated in the current constitution. The opposition have been pushing for the amendment of the country’s constitution to create the position of an executive prime minister to be in charge of government while the president retains the head of state status. The prime minister’s position would be taken by Hon Raila Odinga.