By Guled Mohamed
NAIROBI (Reuters) - Kenya's fragile power-sharing deal toend a bloody post-election crisis suffered a setback on Mondayas a row broke out over the role of prime minister in theproposed coalition government.
President Mwai Kibaki and his rival Raila Odinga signed thepact last month to end political turmoil which left at least1,000 people dead and cost Kenya its reputation as one ofAfrica's most stable democracies.
The landmark deal will bring Odinga into the government bycreating a prime minister's post for him.
In a reminder of the tense ties between the two parties,Odinga's Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) rejected on Monday astatement outlining the structure of the coalition by the headof the civil service, Francis Muthaura.
"The statement is causing alarm. It is mischievous. Itcould pose a threat to the accord," ODM spokesman Salim Lonesaid.
Parliament is due to meet on Tuesday to debate legislationto pass the deal into law and amend Kenya's constitution tomake the agreement legal.
Critics said Muthaura's statement appeared to downgrade theprime minister's role by saying the vice-president would remainthe principal assistant of the president.
It also said the prime minister who will hold a ministerialportfolio would coordinate and supervise government functionsunder the authority of the president.
"The interpretation of the accord should come out of ajoint meeting between the two parties that signed it," Lonesaid.
"This is the view of the head of the civil service. We donot take this as the position of the president," he added.
Crucial discussions about the prime minister's precisepowers and the distribution of cabinet positions were stillongoing, Lone said.
Although the power-sharing deal has been welcomed byKenyans, many are sceptical that Kibaki and Odinga -- allieswho fell out with each other -- can work together.
Citing the accord, ratings agency Standard & Poor's (S&P)raised its long-term outlook on Kenya to stable from negativeon Monday.
But it also warned that polarisation between the two sidescould persist, "negatively affecting governance".
S&P also affirmed the east African country's 'B' long-termand short-term sovereign credit ratings.
(Additional reporting and writing by Katie Nguyen; Editingby Dominic Evans)
(For full Reuters Africa coverage and to have your say onthe top issues, visit: http://africa.reuters.com/ )
