Violence meets Kenyan Cabinet appointments

NAIROBI, Kenya, Jan. 9 (UPI) -- Ethnic violence and riots rocked Kenya following unilateral parliamentary appointments by President Mwai Kibaki and stalled negotiations with the opposition.

Protesters gathered in Mombasa, ethnic violence broke out in the slums near Nairobi and people lit fires in Kisumu following Kibaki's appointment of several Cabinet positions, The New York Times reported Wednesday.

The Orange Democratic Party, the opposition party led by Raila Odinga, said the decision was "a slap in the face" as no ODP members received Cabinet posts despite winning most of the seats in parliament.

"You don't pre-empt negotiations by giving away all the important posts," a spokesman for Odinga, referring to planned talks with Kibaki's government. "This shows that the government is not seriously committed to dialogue."

The outbreak of violence there comes amid allegations of vote-rigging in the Dec. 27 elections. The conflict was sparked by bitterness between Kibaki's Kikuyu ethnic ground and Odinga's Luo ethnic group.

The Kenyan government said at least 486 people died as a result of the violence.