Four months after a disputed general election that provoked an upsurge of tribal violence, Kenya yesterday swore in a government of national unity. Raila Odinga agreed to serve as Prime Minister in a coalition headed by President Kibaki, the man he accused of stealing the election, and immediately announced the priority of helping the 300,000 people forced to flee their homes as ethnic killings and revenge attacks brought Kenya to the brink of civil war. The new Government is a triumph for Kofi Annan, the former UN Secretary-General, whose tireless efforts to broker a compromise came close to foundering as bickering politicians refused to compromise or grasp the scale of the disaster. “We have been to hell and back,” Mr Odinga said yesterday. “Never again in our history must there be a return to those times.”

All Kenyans would agree. During more than a month of violence, around 1,200 people were killed. Tribe turned against tribe. Ancient animosities were revived, fanned by a growing divide between the rich and poor, those enriched by corruption and those still resentful of the loss of ancestral land. Kenya's once thriving tourist industry came to an abrupt halt, investors withdrew their money, the stock market plunged and the entire regional economy suffered from disrupted transport and a collapse of confidence.

Against expectations, reconciliation has been achieved. But it has come at a cost. The Cabinet will be the largest ever, with 41 members and 93 ministers and assistant ministers. Given their insistence on large cars, bodyguards, support staff and high salaries, the cost will be around $1 billion a year, an outrageous 5 per cent of national income, and one that must be cut right back. Politicians brought Kenya to the brink. Their greed is now in danger of discrediting the entire compromise. As Mr Annan said: “Peace is precious. Let's not lose it again”.

Nevertheless, there is palpable relief that the country now has a second chance. The economy has already begun to revive. The new Government has promised to draft a new constitution within 12 months and to address long-simmering disputes over land, wealth and power. The outside world stands ready to offer emergency aid - though Nairobi's prompt call on donors for half a billion dollars may strain their generosity. Fortuitously, Kamalesh Sharma, the newly appointed Secretary-General of the Commonwealth, arrived in Kenya yesterday to offer aid, expertise and quiet diplomacy to smooth the process of reconciliation and rehabilitation - the kind of unpublicised networking in which the 53-nation body has a real role.

Kenya's political compromise should also serve as an example to other embattled African governments unwilling to accept change, curb excesses or rein in demagogues. Nowhere should the lesson be more compelling than in Zimbabwe. And if Robert Mugabe and his cronies remain blind to the disaster they have brought upon their country, Zimbabwe's faint-hearted neighbours should look to Kenya and stiffen their resolve. Africans have an optimism and resilience that often surprises outsiders. Kenya still faces huge challenges - including the latest violence by the murderous Mungiki gang. But with a political settlement in place, recovery may be quicker than many had dared hope.