Raila Odinga

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Beloved Kenyan Leader Made Unusual Request Before Dying

Raila Odinga expressed desire to be buried within 3 days; funeral is set for Sunday

(Newser) - A sea of mourners gathered at Nairobi's main airport Thursday as the body of former Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga returned home, marking the beginning of a week of national mourning. Odinga, widely recognized for his decades-long fight for democracy, collapsed Wednesday during a morning walk in Kerala,...

The Fight Is Over for Kenya's 'Father of Democracy'

Raila Odinga, 80, dies in India, where he was receiving medical care

(Newser) - Raila Odinga, the enduring face of Kenya's fight for democracy and a towering figure in African politics, has died in India at age 80, leaving a nation to mourn one of its most influential leaders. The former prime minister and longtime opposition leader collapsed Wednesday during a morning...

Kenya Election Results Declared 'Null and Void'

Nairobi is braced for unrest

(Newser) - Kenya's Supreme Court on Friday nullified President Uhuru Kenyatta's election win last month and called for new elections within 60 days, shocking a country that had been braced for further protests by opposition supporters. No Kenya presidential election has ever been nullified. "It's a very historic...

Kenya Is Done Voting, but a July Murder Is Causing Chaos
IT Guy's July Murder
Is Now Roiling Kenya
the rundown
Aug 9, 2017 12:24 PM CDT

IT Guy's July Murder Is Now Roiling Kenya

Losing candidate won't accept results, says killing led to a massive election hack

(Newser) - Last month, the IT manager of Kenya's election commission was brutally murdered. Now his death is playing a role in unrest in the wake of Tuesday's presidential vote, chaos that threatens to plunge Kenya into violence with reverberations around the African continent. Here's what's happening:
  • Disputed
...

Obama Issues Rare Statement Ahead of Kenya Vote

Former president asks leaders to 'reject violence and incitement'

(Newser) - Barack Obama has mostly steered clear of politics—at least publicly—since leaving office. There was an alteration Monday, however, on the eve of an election in Kenya. The former president, whose father was born in the country, urged Kenyans to "work for an election—and aftermath—that is...

War Crimes Suspect Wins Kenya Election

Uhuru Kenyatta is victor, but he faces international trial in July

(Newser) - Uhuru Kenyatta has been declared the winner of Kenya's presidential election, and he appears to have avoided a runoff by the slimmest of margins, reports Reuters . He needed to get 50% of the vote, and the nation's election commission says he got 50.03%. That translates to 4,...

Half-Brother of Obama Loses in Kenya Elections

Malik Obama was running for governor

(Newser) - The world will have to settle for only one political Obama, at least for the time being. The president's half-brother, Malik Obama, has lost his bid for a governorship in Kenya, reports Politicker . Results aren't final, but Obama apparently lost by a wide margin as an independent candidate,...

Gang Kills Police as Kenya Votes
 Attacks Kill 12  
 as Kenya Votes 
UPDATED
Mar 4, 2013 2:03 AM CST

Attacks Kill 12 as Kenya Votes

Machete-wielding mob kills 5 cops in one ambush

(Newser) - Kenya chooses a president today in a vote overshadowed by fears of a repeat of the ethnic violence that killed more than 1,200 people in the weeks after 2007's election. The vote got off to a violent start when a mob of 200 secessionists armed with machetes ambushed...

West African Leaders Push Ivory Coast's Gbagbo to Leave

20K flee country as violent confrontation looms

(Newser) - Last chance for a peaceful resolution? West African leaders met with Ivory Coast's Laurent Gbagbo today to try to resolve the country’s post-election strife, the BBC reports. The heads of Benin, Sierra Leone, and Cape Verde met with Gbagbo, who has refused to step down despite international support for...

Kenya Feels Betrayed by 'Brother Barack'

US practices diplomatic tough love

(Newser) - Kenyans adore Barack Obama, affectionately calling him “Brother Barack,” but they’re starting to get the feeling he doesn’t love them back. The Obama administration has been far harder on Kenya diplomatically than its predecessor, Time reports. Last week Washington threatened to keep 15 senior officials from...

Fierce Rivalries Shape, Threaten Kenyan Politics
Fierce Rivalries Shape, Threaten Kenyan Politics
Analysis
Apr 25, 2009 4:54 AM CDT

Fierce Rivalries Shape, Threaten Kenyan Politics

Power sharing compromise has resulted in a rancorous impasse

(Newser) - Election violence in 2007 gave way to an uneasy coalition between Kenyan PM Raila Odinga and President Mwai Kibaki, but that move seems only to have transformed the fighting on the streets into squabbling in the capital. Now, "Kenya does not have a functioning executive at all, just an...

Kenya Mourns Double Tragedy That Killed 136

Grieving kin blame poor emergency response in 2 fires

(Newser) - Kenyans are blaming the government for poor public safety and emergency response as they mourn the loss of 136 people in back-to-back fires at a Nairobi supermarket and on a rural highway. Emergency crews were slow to respond to yesterday's fuel tanker explosion, which came as they were still searching...

Africa Must Oust Mugabe: Kenyan PM

Power-sharing isn't working in Zimbabwe, Odinga says

(Newser) - Zimbabwe’s unity government is a sham, and the only way to break the deadlock is to force President Robert Mugabe to resign, Kenya’s prime minister said today. “Power-sharing will not work with a dictator who does not really believe in power-sharing,” Raila Odinga told the BBC....

Kenyan PM: Intervene in Zimbabwe
Kenyan PM: Intervene in Zimbabwe
Jun 30, 2008 1:30 PM CDT

Kenyan PM: Intervene in Zimbabwe

Odinga is Mugabe's most vocal critic at African Union summit

(Newser) - Kenya’s prime minister blasted Zimbabwe's Robert Mugabe today, saying it would set a dangerous precedent for the African Union to accept him as "a duly elected president," the BBC reports. "They should suspend him and send peace forces to Zimbabwe to ensure free and fair elections,...

Kenya Announces Shared Cabinet

Prez names opposition leader PM

(Newser) - Calling for Kenyans to "put politics aside and get to work," president Mwai Kibaki named chief opposition leader Raila Odinga prime minister today in a move to end political strife with a power-sharing cabinet. The 40-member cabinet, including two deputy PMs, was divided evenly between the two parties,...

Deal Reached in Kenyan Crisis
 Deal Reached in Kenyan Crisis 
Apr 12, 2008 7:18 PM CDT

Deal Reached in Kenyan Crisis

Analysts remain skeptical, noting past attempts at accord

(Newser) - Kenya’s election crisis may finally be over. President Mwai Kibaki and opposition leader Raila Odinga today reached a deal on a new cabinet, the BBC reports, ending the dispute that has long delayed a February power-sharing deal. The new cabinet will be announced tomorrow and should be in place...

Tough Work Awaits Kenya Lawmakers
Tough Work Awaits Kenya Lawmakers
Mar 6, 2008 4:53 PM CST

Tough Work Awaits Kenya Lawmakers

Parliament, back in session, must figure out how to make peace deal work

(Newser) - Kenya's parliament reconvened today, the New York Times reports, and was immediately given the task of putting into law the power-sharing deal that ended the startling wave of violence that followed December's disputed election. "You must now become the ambassadors of peace and reconciliation,” President Mwai Kibaki told...

Kenyan Rivals Sign Peace Deal
Kenyan Rivals Sign Peace Deal
Feb 28, 2008 4:43 PM CST

Kenyan Rivals Sign Peace Deal

Citizenry appears relieved, cautious after power-sharing accord is made official

(Newser) - Kenya’s rival political leaders signed a power-sharing deal today in a ceremony that brought jubilant crowds to the streets of Nairobi, the New York Times reports—a change from the violence that followed December's disputed election. The agreement creates a powerful prime minister position for opposition leader Raila Odinga,...

Kenyan Leaders Reach Deal
Kenyan Leaders Reach Deal
Feb 28, 2008 8:12 AM CST

Kenyan Leaders Reach Deal

Annan says rivals have come to terms to end post-election crisis

(Newser) -  Kenya’s feuding leaders have finally reached a power sharing deal, Kofi Annan announced today after a four-hour meeting. Annan said he could not yet release details, but the deal is expected to spell out duties for the prime minister position to be created for opposition leader Raila Odinga,...

Annan Suspends Kenya Talks
Annan Suspends Kenya Talks
Feb 26, 2008 11:09 AM CST

Annan Suspends Kenya Talks

Mediator says he will speak to leaders personally

(Newser) - Mediator Kofi Annan is suspending the talks to end the bloody crisis in Kenya. In lieu of the negotiations, the ex-UN Secretary General says he will speak personally to rival leaders Mwai Kibaki and Raila Odinga, reports the AP. "I hope people will understand this is a move intended...

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