London, Dec 31, IRNA ,The British government has praised the holding of presidential elections in its former colony of Kenya but expressed “real concerns” at irregularities reported by EU and other observers.
“We call on all Kenya’s political leaders and democratic institutions to work together to address those concerns, seriously, in a spirit of unity,” Foreign Secretary David Miliband and International Development Secretary Douglas Alexander said.
This, the two ministers said in a joint statement, should be carried out “in a way which will bring the respect and support of the Kenyan people.”
“Those leaders must also ensure the safety of Kenya’s people – the tragic deaths this weekend have marred an otherwise peaceful election.
That violence must not be repeated.” they said.
But the joint call came as at least 43 people were reported to have been killed in the western Kenyan town of Kisumu after violence blamed on the disputed election result.
President Mwai Kibaki was declared the winner in last week’s poll but opposition candidate Raila Odinga claimed that he was robbed of victory by election fraud.
Miliband and Alexander urged all sides in the dispute “to pursue their disputes peacefully through dialogue and the appeals process.” “This is a pivotal moment for Kenya, a time when the democratic process and election outcome has to be seen to be fair in the eyes of the Kenyan people,” they said.
The ministers added that looked forward to working with a “legitimately elected government of Kenya, which commands the support of the Kenyan people and which wants to advance the economic, social and democratic interests of the people of Kenya.”
“We will be discussing ways forward with our European and other partners in the coming weeks,” their joint statement also said.
Since gaining independence from Britain in 1963, Kenya was ruled by President Jomo Kenyatta and then by his deputy Daniel Toroitich Arap Moi winning five presidential elections until Kibaki gained his first term in 2002.