President Kibaki and Prime Minister Raila Odinga on Saturday sought to get the country on a healing mode, with an appeal to Kenyans to take cue from their working relationship and foster peace and reconciliation.

President Kibaki addresses a peace rally at Moi Stadium on Saturday. Photo/JOSEPH KIHERI

On the third day of their high-profile peace tour of the Rift Valley, the two leaders addressed peace rallies in Molo, Kuresoi and Naivasha, some of the areas hardest hit by the violence following the disputed presidential election.

"If I and Raila are together, why are you isolating yourself instead of joining us so that we can walk in one direction?" the President asked a crowd in Molo.

President Kibaki said he was concerned that wananchi at the grassroots continued to harbour grudge against each other while leaders at the national level were working together.

The President and Mr Odinga later flew to Kuresoi and Naivasha for other rallies while Vice-President Kalonzo Musyoka headed for Nairobi over the prison warders' strike.

The President said the government was committed to addressing the plight of the internally displaced persons and urged them to appreciate the efforts being made to alleviate their suffering.

"You should also not feel that so and so is responsible for all your suffering. You should be ready to reconcile and forge forward. You cannot achieve much by dwelling on the past," the President said.

The President said Kenyans were free to own property in any part of the country and urged those with valid grievances to present them to the government through legitimate channels.

"Those who feel that they have rights which they need to pursue should follow the legitimate channels and the government will listen to them," he said.

Those present were Internal Security minister George Saitoti, Mr William Ruto (Agriculture), Mr Samuel Pogishio, (Information and Communication) and Dr Naomi Shaaban (Special Programmes). Others were Prof Hellen Sambili (Youth and Sports), Mr Kipkalaya Kones (Roads) and Mr Dalmas Otien (Public Service).

Assistant ministers were Mr Lee Kinyanjui, Dr Wilfred Machage and Mr Asman Kamama, and MPs Mr Joseph Kuina (Molo), Mr Zakayo Cheruiyot (Kuresoi) and Mr Franklin Bett (Buret) also attended.

Earlier on there was confusion at the main dais when Prof Saitoti invited Mr Odinga to address the gathering, who in turn sat down without inviting the Vice-President to speak.

However, Mr Musyoka proceeded to the microphone and addressed the meeting.

A section of the crowd booed as Mr Ruto, Mr Kones and Mr Bett were being introduced to the gathering. The three represent constituencies that were also affected by the violence.

Prof Saitoti had to ask the local MP to calm the crowd to enable Mr Ruto explain the steps his ministry had taken in addressing the plight of the displaced persons.

Mr Kiuna urged the crowd to respect the leaders whom he said had travelled to the area to find a solution to their problem.

Mr Ruto addressed the meeting after the MP succeeded in calming down the crowd.

However, the crowd cheered loudly when Mr Odinga was introduced.

The Prime Minister arrived at the meeting about 40 minutes after the President arrived at 11.20 a.m.

President Kibaki said the government was committed to restoring order in Molo to enable residents live in peace.

He criticised some leaders whom he said thrived on preaching ethnic animosity and hatred, saying their activities would not achieve much for the country.

"You cannot kill all the people and only leave members of your ethnic community. This cannot happen. You must learn to live and work with other people," he said.

The President said he and Mr Odinga had decide to work together due to their desire to see peace prevail in the country.

He commended the Molo MP and the provincial administration for initiating talks amongst members of different ethnic communities living in the area.

The President said Kenyans should not dwell in the past but should instead strive to forge ahead to improve their lives.

Mr Odinga said the government would strive to address the plight of the displaced persons to enable them resume normal life. The Prime Minister said ethnic violence had retarded development in Molo and made it difficult for residents to fend for themselves.

He said the grand coalition government would undertake comprehensive land reforms and grant Kenyans a new constitution which they have been yearning for.

The Prime Minister also said leaders at the national level had resolved to work together and wondered why wananchi at the grassroots were fighting each other.

Mr Musyoka said the government would restore peace in Molo and all other parts of the country affected by the violence.

"We will also have to bring to an end the culture of impunity. We do not want people to engage in acts of lawlessness and go scot-free. Children are traumatised when they watch their parents being attacked in violence," Mr Musyoka said.

The Vice-President said the country could forge ahead if leaders and people decided to work together.

Prof Saitoti said the government would construct six new police stations in Molo and Kuresoi.

The minister said adequate security measures would be put in place to ensure that the 56,000 people who were displaced from their homes in the area returned on their farms.

The Internal Security minister said that the government would also increase administration police camps in the region to 42.

The government, Prof Saitoti added, will provide adequate security to the displaced persons to enable them return to their farms.

Addressing the meeting, Mr Ruto said the government will dispatch 15 tractors to Molo to assist farmers plough their land.

The government will also provide the displaced persons with seeds and fertilizers to enable them plant their farms, he said.

The Agriculture minister said that the sporadic outbreak of violence in Rift Valley Province was an indication that there existed some problems, which need to be solved.

Dr Shaaban told the gathering that Mr Manu Chandaria, the industrialist, had donated Sh100 million towards the rehabilitation of schools which were destroyed during the violence.

The minister called on other rich people to emulate Dr Chandaria and assist in the re-settlement of the displaced persons.

The minister for special programmes said the government had launched a fund to re-settle the displaced persons.

The victims will be assisted with building material and some money to enable them resume normal life, she said.

Mr Kiuna told the President that area residents were hardworking and wanted the government to beef up security in the area to enable them to engage in productive activity.

The area, said the MP, the has been the leading producer of horticultural crops in the province but the production had since declined due to sporadic outbreak of violence.

Mr Kiuna asked the government to divide Rift Valley Province, which he said was vast, for ease of administration.

Mr Ruto attributed the heckling as he and some MPs were introduced to the various problems that faced the country and called for urgent action to ensure such hatred and other social injustices were addressed as a matter of priority.

Mr Odinga noted that Molo had suffered violence since the 1992 General Election and blamed individuals whom he did not name for instigating it to cause disharmony in the region.

After his address, President Kibaki called an elderly woman whom his security detail had earlier barred from walking towards him to the main dais.

The President had a conversation with the woman, Ms Mary Nyambura, for a few minutes before he appeared to refer her matter to Rift Valley Provincial Commissioner Noor Hassan Noor.

The woman asked the President to give her a letter directing the PC to address her plight.

She told the President that two of her sons were killed a few years ago and that she had not been compensated for her property destroyed.

Ms Nyambura pleaded with the president to solve her problem as all her efforts to have it addressed by the provincial administration officials had not borne fruit.

Earlier, the woman had attempted to walk to the dais as the President was addressing the gathering but the security detail restrained her prompting the President to reprimand the security team.

The PC asked the elderly woman to visit his office on Sunday and have her problem sorted out.

Meanwhile, Naivasha residents were urged to embrace peace so that economic activities continue to thrive in the area.

"Naivasha is an important commercial hub in Kenya and peace is vital if the gains are to be sustained," said Mr Odinga.

Speaking during the final day of their three-day tour to areas affected by the post-election violence, the PM said the skirmishes had affected economic activities. Many flower farm workers, he noted, were displaced by the violence badly affecting the flower sector, an important foreign exchange earner.

Mr Odinga urged Kenyans to embrace brotherhood and not to view each other from the areas one hailed from.

"We are all Kenyans and we should regard each other as such; but not by tribal inclinations," he added.

On his part, President Kibaki echoed similar sentiments saying true economic gains could only be achieved through a united nation. Kenyans, he said, needed each other in the healing process and asked then to learn to forgive and move ahead.

The President said Kenyans were not tourists in their own country and were free to settle in any parts of the country, adding: "Tourist visits the country for site seeing but the locals are here to remain."

He said the coalition Government was keen in delivering service to the residents and asked people to have faith in it.

The President assured the Internally Displaced Persons that the Government will help them in resettlement programme.

There was a sigh of relief after the two toured Kedong camp where another group of internal refugees is camping.

The internal refugees, had earlier in the day, protested blocking the Moi South Lake road after word went round that the two might not tour the Kedong camp.

The group barricaded the road for hours, saying they were being asked to attend the Stadium meeting for a joint address which they were opposed to.