Frost thawed when
President Kibaki and ODM leader, Mr Raila Odinga, met for the first time in months. They shook hands at the steps of the Office of the President at Harambee House as the world watched. The global spotlight has been focused on Kenya since violence broke out following the announcement of the presidential results on December 30. On Thursday, after about an
hour of talks, the two men
emerged with the former UN chief, Mr Kofi Annan, to announce that they were committed to dialogue and peace. With many television broadcasters beaming the event live, the men smiled, hopefully not just at the cameras, and pledged dialogue. The world had waited when Annan spent hours at State House,
followed by an announcement that the leaders would meet the Harambee House, perhaps seen by Raila as more neutral than State House because Kibaki rarely uses the office. Anxiety was palpable an hour before the meeting, with presidential security detail and aides taking control of the building, which they secured together with the entire Harambee Avenue and Parliament Road. A flurry of activity was evident as Chief State Receptionist, Ms Lydia Muiru, went about the business of ensuring the protocol-dictated red carpet was in place, along with other logistics. Between 4.19
pm and 4.38pm, when Kibaki arrived, his team, comprising Vice-President, Mr Kalonzo Musyoka, and Cabinet ministers was flocking in. Annan, former Tanzania President, Mr Benjamin Mkapa, and Mrs Graca Machel followed. Raila arrived at 4.25pm, accompanied by Mr William Ruto and head of communication in ODM, Mr Salim Lone. In a separate car, his head of security, Mr Edwin Nyaseda, a former Police Commissioner, followed with several aides. And then, finally, work in the vicinity came to a standstill when Kibaki’s motorcade emerged at 4.38pm. As he walked up the steps, a journalist shouted: "Mr President, please look this way! Smile at us!" Kibaki turned, smiled and waved as the public across the road applauded. And the waiting had just begun. The one-hour wait must have been one of the longest for many Kenyans. Finally, the light at the end of the tunnel shone brightly when the teams emerged and cameras started rolling.
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