In 2008, Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki and his rival Raila Odinga signed an unprecedented power-sharing deal to end a wave of violence that had left more than 1,200 people dead.
Kibaki would remain president, while Odinga would become prime minister, a role created as part of the settlement. They hoped the accord would end the bloodshed that had engulfed Kenya after the disputed election two months earlier.
Maina Kiai was Chair of the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights at the time. He spoke to Stefania Gozzer about the uncertainty of those weeks and the push for a political settlement.
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(Photo: Kenya's opposition leader Raila Odinga shakes hands with Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki as former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan and former Tanzanian President Benjamin Mkapa stand beside them in 2008. Credit: Uriel Sinai/Getty Images)
