Originally published by the Voice of America (www.voanews.com).
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January 21, 2008

Kenya Opposition Calls for Boycott, Rallies
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http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=1AFE19D:A6F02AD83191E1601B1DDFAB465FB3EC5C6F54A6CF9DC2CA& Government calls
boycotts 'insult to Kenyans' The Kenyan government has denounced the
opposition party's call for the boycott of businesses linked to allies
of the president as "illegal sabotage."

A government statement Monday also calls the boycott "an insult to
Kenyans."

The country has been reeling from deadly violence that broke out last
month after a disputed presidential election returned Mwai Kibaki to
office. Opposition leader Raila Odinga and international observers say
the election process was flawed.

The opposition party has urged supporters to boycott businesses allied
with the president, including Equity Bank and two bus companies.

Several people were killed in a Nairobi slum since Saturday. They are
among about 650 people killed since the December vote.

Odinga has called for "peaceful rallies" Thursday across the country.
Other demonstrations in recent weeks have turned deadly.

The contested election erupted tribal tensions in Kenya, which has
been hailed as a beacon of stability on the African continent.

Much of the bloodshed has been between the Kikuyu and Luo ethnic
groups. Mr. Kibaki is Kikuyu, and Odinga is Luo.

Former United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan is due to arrive in
Nairobi Tuesday to try to defuse the crisis. Mr. Odinga has said he
will meet with Mr. Annan. Other mediation attempts have failed.

Some information for this report was provided by AP and Reuters.


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