NAIROBI, Kenya, April 4 (UPI) -- Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki and Prime Minister-designate Raila Odinga announced Thursday that they had agreed to a 40-member cabinet.
Details are to be released Sunday, The Daily Nation of Nairobi reported. The government is to be sworn in April 12.
Kibaki and Odinga were under pressure from Kofi Annan, former secretary-general of the United Nations, who helped negotiate a power-sharing arrangement. Kibaki declared victory in a disputed presidential election, setting off weeks of deadly violence.
The agreement creates six new ministries and cabinet positions. Kibaki pushed for a larger cabinet to create positions for parties in his coalition, while Odinga's Orange Democratic Movement wanted a smaller cabinet.
The ODM is to get 20 cabinet positions.
Mwalimu Mati, head of the Mars Group, an anti-corruption organization, estimated the cost of the new ministries at $800 million a year.
"Announcing such a bloated cabinet at this time is like putting out a fire with gasoline," Mati told The Guardian. "These guys are completely out of touch with public thinking."
