President Mwai Kibaki urged Kenyan MPs yesterday to support an historic power-sharing agreement designed to end weeks of tribal violence.

The veteran leader was accused of rigging December's presidential elections but signed a deal last week with Raila Odinga, the main opposition leader, paving the way for a “grand coalition”.

Yesterday at the state opening of Parliament, Mr Kibaki, 76, announced plans for four Bills to amend the Constitution to allow the new post of prime minister, as well as inquiries into violence that left more 1,500 people dead.

He appealed to politicians to set aside partisan positions. “I urge honourable Members to ensure that all the necessary Bills to implement the accord and other socioeconomic reforms are dealt with promptly so that Kenya can restore and even exceed its former glory,” he said.

More than 600,000 people were displaced as government and opposition supporters took to the streets. Within days political violence had spiralled into tribal clashes.

The unrest exposed deep-seated rifts over wealth, power and tribe, often exploited by politicians trying to further the interests of their own people from among Kenya's 42 different ethnic groups. The country's safari parks and Indian Ocean beaches are still empty as tourists stay away.

Last week's deal has eased political and ethnic tensions for now. But there has been little detail on how the power-sharing arrangement will work.

The two leaders still have to share out government ministries and decide how the President and Prime Minister will manage power.

Mr Kibaki's and Mr Odinga's supporters gave diametrically opposed briefings yesterday.

Alfred Mutua, the government spokesman, said the President would make the decision on appointments.

William Ruto, a senior figure in Mr Odinga's Orange Democratic Movement, told the BBC that ministerial appointments would be made jointly by President and Prime Minister.

Analysts believe much of the violence was orchestrated by figures on both sides of Kenya's political divide. The Government has been accused of using the banned Mungiki sect to protect members of President Kibaki's Kikuyu tribe.

An investigation by the BBC claimed that Mungiki leaders met government officials at State House, the President's official resident, before a wave of attacks on opposition supporters the Rift Valley towns of Naivasha and Nakuru. The Government said the allegations were preposterous.

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