ANNAN HERE

Former United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan arrived in Kenya early on Tuesday morning for a four-day visit.

He was expected to chair meetings of the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), in which he is chairman of the Board of Directors.

The chief mediator who led the talks that saw Kenya end its political stalemate after the 2007 disputed presidential elections is also scheduled to meet with President Mwai Kibaki. He will also hold talks with Prime Minister Raila Odinga as well as other stakeholders in the Dialogue and Reconciliation process.

State House confirmed that Mr Annan was scheduled to meet with the President on Thursday.

Mr Annan has kept in constant touch with the Kenyan government to gauge its progress in the reform agenda. Unfortunately, the process has been slow causing anxiety among Kenyans and the international community.

The mediator also arrives in the country at a time when the Party of National Unity (PNU) and the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) have adopted opposing stands in the Constitution review process after failing to agree on the Devolution and Representation Chapters.

A new Constitution was one of the key reforms recommended by Mr Annan and his team.

Political wrangles between PNU and ODM have continued to plague the constitution review process which enters a new phase when MPs begin debating the draft in Parliament ahead of the proposed referendum.

Resettlement of internally displaced persons and corruption are also other outstanding issues that are yet to be resolved by the coalition government.

In his last visit to the country, Mr Annan was pushing the government to establish a local tribunal to punish perpetrators of the 2007/2008 post election violence. The issue remains unresolved and the International Criminal Court is preparing a decision whether to give the prosecutor mandate to open the Kenya case.