Kenya Leaders Kibaki and Odinga Agree To Heal Rift

Kenya's president and prime minister have met for the first time since a power struggle broke out a week ago which threatened the unity government. They agreed to settle issues that had strained their relationship, Prime Minister Raila Odinga's spokesman said. They fell out after President Mwai Kibaki overturned a decision by the prime minsiter to suspend two ministers suspected of corruption. The pair formed a coalition to help end riots after the 2007 election. The BBC's Will Ross, in Nairobi, says the meeting shows the two men are intent on healing the rift. After the talks, Mr Kibaki's office released a brief statement saying: "The consultations centred on a wide range of issues touching on the grand coalition government." Jakoyo Midiwo, from Mr Odinga's Orange Democratic Movement (ODM), said more meetings would follow. "The two principals agreed to work more closely and settle the issues that had been straining their relationship," he said. Our correspondent says the latest political row has increased tension and prompted many analysts to warn that Kenya is still on a dangerous road. Most of the reforms intended to prevent a repeat of the post-election violence have not been carried out and efforts to stamp out corruption have been overshadowed by political rivalry. The two ministers reinstated by Mr Kibaki are suspected of embezzlement on a huge scale. Agriculture Minister William Ruto is under suspicion after a recent audit into a maize scandal revealed that $26m (�16.5m) had gone missing. He was an ally of the prime minister and is still a member of Mr Odinga's ODM, but the pair are now fierce rivals. Education Minister Sam Ongeri, from Mr Kibaki's Party of National Unity, was targeted for suspension after more than $1m earmarked for schools went missing. Some 1,300 people died in the violence in 2007 and tens of thousands were displaced in weeks of violence. Mr Odinga and Mr Kibaki are from different ethnic groups a divide which helped to fuel the riots.