6 dead and 79 wounded in a political meeting in Kenya

Christian groups oppose to the new constitution

The rally was organised by Christian groups as a protest, to show their opposition to the new Constitution, because it contains the recognition of theIslamic courts, known as Khadi courts, and also a clause on abortion which doesn’t protect mother’s life. The country is due to vote for the new constitution on a referendum in August.
The event has taken place at 19.00 in Uhuru Park, an emblematic place of Nairobi. This park is a traditional point of meeting for the public expressions, and this evening it has turned into scene of the political extremism. When the blast happened, hundreds of people were following the meeting. Steve Odhiambo, a 28 year-old mechanical engineer said “I was about 50 yards from the blast, and I saw one person who had his lower body blasted off”.
 The Kenyan police and the Prime Minister Raila Odinga, said they don’t know yet the cause of the explosions, but that they hurt 79 people. Odinga also added “I want to say clearly that the government will do everything possible to get to the root of this incident. We must condemn this”.
 William Ruto, the Minister for Higher Education, condemned the attacks and said this is “the darkest hour of our nation”, because “innocent blood has been shed by people with evil desires, and we are calling upon the police to take action”. For him peop

The blast happened when hundreds of people were praying at Uhuru Park in Nairobi

is who has to decide the future of the country, and suggested “those of us who has said ‘no’ have commited no crime”.

The abortion and Islamic courts: Polemical issues

Since the Constitution was approved by the Parliament in April, the text has caused a lot of problem. Some groups of the population say if the text is voted the country will be the paradise of abortion in Africa and also will give too much power to the Islamic community.The document provides more regional devolution and greater checks on presidential power.
 The problem appears because this regulation will let the Islamic courts deal with matters of marriage and inheritance for Kenya’s Muslim minorities. The Catholic church, maybe the most influential of the country, urged the Government to withdraw both articles from the constitutional text, carrying out a strong campaing for the ‘no’ after an amendment to abolish abortion on medical grounds failed.
 Also, the proposed Constitution, according to all the surveys will be approved in the referendum. It has divided the weak Government of the country, which born after the wave of violence happened between December 2007 and February of 2008, when 1500 people died.
 If this new Constitution is approved, will replace the rules that govern the country since the independency in the 60’s, and is considered a key step in the list of reforms that the mediator and UNO ex-Secretary Koffi Annan, recommended for the country to modernize and to allow his entry to the “club of the democratic countries”.