By C. Bryson Hull
NAIROBI (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State CondoleezzaRice on Monday threw Washington's weight behind efforts to enda deadly post-election crisis in Kenya and push forpower-sharing between the feuding parties.
Rice, who was sent to Kenya by President George W. Bushduring his Africa tour, is the highest-ranking U.S. official tovisit Kenya since a December 27 vote triggered ethnic attacksthat killed 1,000 people.
"There needs to be a governance arrangement that will allowreal power-sharing ... a grand coalition so that Kenyans can begoverned," Rice told reporters after meeting former U.N. chiefKofi Annan, who is leading efforts to end the turmoil.
"I'm going to emphasise that there is a lot to be gained ina relationship with the United States through resolution ofthis political crisis," Rice said on the plane prior toarrival.
She was also due to hold talks with President Mwai Kibakiand his rival, opposition leader Raila Odinga.
Odinga says Kibaki stole the election, while Kibaki's teamsays its man won fairly. On Sunday, the foreign minister issueda sharp rebuke for anyone who tried to pressure it into a deal.
"We encourage our friends to support us and not make anymistake of putting a gun to anybody's head and saying'either/or', because that cannot work," Moses Wetangula said.
"Even if we get visitors to help us in any way possible,the answer to the problem in Kenya lies with Kenyansthemselves."
His comments seemed to be a pointed reference to U.S.statements supporting a power-sharing arrangement to end theturmoil that has affected one of the West's allies in its fightagainst al Qaeda and ruined Kenya's image of stability.
Bush, who is on the second leg of a five-nation Africatour, says Washington wants to help the talks, not dictate asolution.
"BUYING TIME"
Both sides of Kenya's political divide have agreed to anindependent review of the contested ballot -- but not what todo about it or what form a power-sharing administration mighttake.
Rice told the news conference that could only be reachednow through negotiation and goodwill.
"The Kenyan people expect their political leaders to beable to overcome their differences ... The continent has cometo expect that from Kenya and so has the internationalcommunity."
Kibaki's government has been wary of what it sees asforeign meddling in the affairs of a sovereign country.
Although Annan reported considerable progress in lastweek's talks, Kenyans are waiting for a breakthrough on thecontentious plan for a "grand coalition" that he has advocated.
Government officials have said the only power-sharing beingconsidered is giving opposition members ministries in Kibaki'shalf-filled cabinet. But that proposal is unlikely to satisfythe opposition when discussions resume on Tuesday.
In an interview published on Monday, the man who blew thewhistle on one of Kenya's biggest graft scandals said deeperissues like perceived tribal inequalities in land rights, powerand wealth needed to be addressed -- not papered over.
"The elections were merely a trigger for the crisis, withthe subsequent mayhem simply symptomatic of a wider leadershipfailure," John Githongo, Kibaki's exiled former anti-corruptionadviser, told the East African newspaper.
"This will not change and we should not pretend it will.Putting all the belligerents into one government merely buystime. We need to be prepared to think outside the box."
Githongo quit Kenya in early 2005 after he revealed detailsof a scandal in which state contracts worth hundreds ofmillions of dollars were awarded to phantom firms.
(Writing by Daniel Wallis)
(For special coverage from Reuters on Kenya's crisis see:http ://africa.reuters.com/elections/kenya/)