Raila off to Sweden

The violence that gripped Kenya in 2008 was a learning experience and eye opener from which the country emerged, hopefully, sadder but wiser.

That is how Prime Minister Raila Odinga put the country's case before various audiences as he wound up his tour of France which began last Sunday.

The Prime Minister told a dinner hosted by French foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner that the country is back on track, and is putting in place measures to ensure the past does not happen again.

Mr Kouchner showered the PM with praise, terming the power sharing deal in Kenya as a manifestation of his selflessness and a determination to see Kenya succeed.

At a meeting with members of French National Assembly, the PM said the reform agenda is on track in Kenya, saying the country would get a new constitution before the next election.

However, Mr Odinga asked the international community not to promote Kenya's power sharing arrangement as a model across Africa.

Instead, he called for support for open and democratic elections and a tradition of losers accepting defeat while winners treat losers with respect.

Odinga told a joint press conference with Mr Kouchner that the violence of 2008 taught Kenyans that the peace they had taken for granted for years could be shattered and expressed hope that the country's politics would change for the better.

"I look forward to a new era of issue based politics; an era where leaders approach politics and the electorate as Kenyans, not as representatives of tribes or regions. We have to change or we perish. I will be surprised if the leaders and the voters have not learnt this lesson," the PM said.

The PM called closer co-operation and exchanges between French MPs and their Kenyan counterparts.

Mr Odinga said the changes that will safeguard the country go beyond governance and have to include giving opportunities for citizens to better their lives.

He said the government is doing this by opening up the countryside through heavy investment in infrastructure and electricity in rural areas.

"In the end, we have to help our people put food on the table. As we address past injustices, the constitution and other matters in Agenda Four, we must also build roads and provide electricity," the PM said.

In France where the PM was on a mission to seek support for Kenya's efforts to seek green energy, the PM met virtually all sectors of society, including Cabinet Ministers, business leaders and students.

The PM told a business leaders meeting that the country was open to business, and European firms are welcome to compete for contracts, particularly in infrastructure.

He said that despite the 2008 violence, Kenya remains the most open and democratic country that Europe can count on to help ensure stability in the Eastern part of Africa.

He said the perception that Kenya is going for Chinese firms at the expense of firms from Europe is incorrect.

He asked for support for the Somali government, saying instability in Somalia threatened Kenya.

The PM heads to Sweden Thursday where his mission is largely to rally support of European nations for Africa's position in the ongoing climate change discussions.

In Stockholm, the PM will address a conference on European Development Days on the economic costs of climate change to Kenya and what the government is doing to reverse the effects.

The PM will also hold bilateral meetings with Swedish counterpart and officials of the World Bank.

Mr Odinga is seeking support of Europe in pushing for a special fund to be created to help African countries cope with consequences of climate change while the continent struggles to adapt to the changes.