Moi brings opposition party into cabinet

President Daniel arap Moi on Monday brought opposition leader Raila Odinga into his cabinet, Kenyan radio reported. In a cabinet reshuffle, Moi appointed Odinga - leader of the National Development Party (NDP), which had recently established a partnership with the ruling Kenya African National Union (KANU) - as Energy Minister. He took the portfolio from Francis Masakhalia who was dropped from cabinet. Another NDP member, Adhu Owiti, was appointed Planning Minister, in what was the first time the first time KANU has been joined in cabinet by members of other parties. Kenyan Vice-President George Saitoti retained position in the reshuffle but, in a surprise move, Bonaya Godana was replaced as Foreign Minister by Christopher Obure, who moved from Agriculture. Godana’s political fate was not immediately apparent.

The NDP, a once vocal critic of the Moi government, has been in a loose alliance with KANU for the past year, and has supported government bills in parliament since the last general election in 1997. There have also been media reports of a possible merger between the NDP and KANU ahead of general elections due by the end of 2002. Raila Odinga is the son of Oginga Odinga, who was Kenya’s first vice-president under Jomo Kenyatta, and challenged Moi for the presidency in 1992. Moi has been in power for the past 23 years, making him one of Africa’s longest-serving heads of state. His KANU party has ruled Kenya since its independence from colonial rule in 1963.