Kenya adopts constitution

KENYA: Kenya adopted a new constitution Friday but the landmark was overshadowed by an international furore at the presence of Sudan President Omar al-Bashir, whom an international court has indicted for genocide and war crimes.

Watched by tens of thousands of his countrymen, Kenya’s President Mwai Kibaki signed the constitution into law at a colourful ceremony in Nairobi’s main park, just over three weeks since it was overwhelmingly endorsed in a national referendum.

“Today is a great day for Kenya,” said Kibaki, who took a new oath of office after signing the new charter into law. “This is the most important day in the history of our nation since independence.

The President sparked wild applause as he reverently held aloft a bound copy of the new constitution and executed a slow pirouette to show it off to the crowd and assembled African dignitaries.

The document, overwhelmingly approved in a national referendum earlier this month, is a pillar of reforms aimed at averting a repeat of the violence that killed more than 1,000 people following the disputed 2007 election.

Nairobi, Monday , AFP