Kenyan leaders were Wednesday under pressure to resume talks on forming a coalition government in a bid to end a severe political crisis as police blocked demonstrators for the second day.
The much-delayed unveiling of a national unity government is a key step in implementing a power-sharing deal aimed at quelling the deadly violence that broke out following Kenya's disputed December polls, killing at least 1,500 people and displacing hundreds of thousands.
Many Kenyans have already reacted angrily to last week's announcement that feuding factions had agreed on a 40-member cabinet-a number of portfolios the country's wobbling economy can ill afford, many observers argue.
The lengthy disagreement over the attribution of key portfolios has fanned popular anger, and on Tuesday hundreds of protestors chanted some of the same slogans heard during opposition marches in the immediate aftermath of the December 27 elections.
Police blocked dozens of youths who attempted to protest in the capital's Kibera slums for the second day demanding a new cabinet. "Tension is still high in the area. Our officers are still patrolling the area to curb more chaos and further destruction because they have already destroyed part of the railway line," police commander Richard Mwara told AFP.
Newspapers renewed a call to President Mwai Kibaki and Orange Democratic Movement leader Raila Odinga-slated to be prime minister-to agree on the cabinet composition in the spirit of the power-sharing accord that was mediated by former UN chief Kofi Annan.
The two leaders have failed to agree on sharing the cabinet, notably the ministries such of justice, interior, foreign affairs, energy and local government. "The disagreement goes to the question of whether the proposals made by the partners follow the letter and spirit of the national accord, and whether any of the parties has backed away from concessions, frustrating efforts to make progress," the Standard newspaper said in an editorial.
"Consensus is still possible on the most difficult of issues preventing the announcement of a new coalition government," the daily added. But Odinga has said he will only resume talks with Kibaki after he replies to a letter sent on Monday demanding a dissolution of the current 17-member cabinet and 50-50 sharing of cabinet posts, notably infrastructural and administrative portfolios.
The Kenyan crisis erupted after Odinga accused Kibaki of stealing presidential votes. At least 1,500 people were killed and hundreds of thousands displaced in violence that choked the mainstay tourism and agricultural sectors.
On Tuesday, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice urged the feuding leaders "to implement real power sharing by agreeing on the composition of their coalition cabinet."
"Both emphasised to me their strong commitment to do so," Rice said in a statement. The European Union made a similar call, while Canada said its bilateral support to Kenya will be pegged on the implementation of the power-sharing accord.
British Foreign Secretary David Miliband said Wednesday he was "dismayed" by the stalling of the talks on power-sharing and urged the country's leaders to agree a cabinet so it can move on. Parties on all sides of the political divide "must be prepared to make concessions to allow this to happen," Miliband added, saying that this included supporters of President Kibaki giving up some key portfolios.
African Union chief Alpha Omar Konare also expressed concern. "The delays in appointing a coalition government will inevitably delay a return to normalcy in Kenya...," he said in a statement sent to AFP. Konare called on Kibaki and Odinga "to reach agreement speedily on the number and composition of the government, in accordance with the letter and spirit of the National Accord and Reconciliation Agreement, and to appoint a government that will meet the needs and aspirations of the Kenyan people".
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