Kenya's ruling parties to merge

Some say Odinga is trying to succeed Moi

The two parties in the governing coalition in Kenya have said they will merge.

The announcement came in a statement from President Daniel arap Moi, leader of the Kenya African National Union (Kanu), and Raila Odinga of the National Democratic Party (NDP).

Moi is notoriously reticent about when he will step down

Party officials will be meeting to work out a joint manifesto before elections due in December.

The move follows last year's coalition agreement between the two parties, when Mr Odinga became Kenya's first non-Kanu minister.

Raila Odinga, who draws his support from the large Luo ethnic group, had previously been a bitter critic of President Moi and had been imprisoned three times.

Correspondents say the merged party will create a much stronger political force in Kenya's complex, ethnically-based politics.

Leap-frog

Mr Odinga told the BBC's Focus on Africa that the merger would definitely happen within the next six months.

Some observers have predicted that Mr Odinga might become the presidential candidate of the new party, leap-frogging senior Kanu officials, though he said that was not the reason for the merger.

Mr Odinga accepted that there was some opposition to the plans, both from Kanu and the NDP but said the majority of both parties were in favour.

"(Critics)... will have to live with this new arrangement or find accommodation elsewhere," he said.

Mr Moi, Kenya's president since 1978, is barred by the constitution from running again.

But some people say that if the Kanu candidate wins, he would be the real power behind the throne.

Early poll

Opposition leaders have recently demanded that elections be held six months early so that a new government can pull the country out of economic crisis.

The calls came from the head of the Democratic Party and official opposition leader, Mwai Kibaki, and the chairman of the Social Democratic Party, James Orengo.

General elections are expected in December 2002, but the opposition politicians demanded they be brought forward to June.

Mr Kibaki expressed concern that the government might be unable to sustain the economy during the current financial year without support from international lenders.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has frozen funding to Kenya because of the slow pace of economic reform and concerns about corruption.