NAIROBI—Kenya began swearing in its largest and costliest-ever cabinet on Thursday, a power-sharing coalition created to soothe fury over a disputed election that plunged the country into a bloody crisis.
The 41-member cabinet was being sworn in at the official State House residence of President Mwai Kibaki, who split the government posts 20-20 with the party of his closest election challenger, new Prime Minister Raila Odinga.
The two men met secretly on Saturday and broke a six-week deadlock over the cornerstone of a power-sharing deal brokered in February, bringing relief to Kenyans and investors watching for signs of lasting peace in east Africa's biggest economy.
The shilling currency and the Nairobi Stock Exchange have rebounded already, having suffered badly after the country erupted into riots and ethnic killings that saw more than 1,200 people killed and 300,000 uprooted from their homes.
The cabinet–almost certain to descend into infighting before long–is supposed to steer the redrafting of a new constitution within 12 months, to help address long-simmering issues of land, wealth and power that fuelled the crisis.
The inauguration makes Odinga only the second prime minister in Kenyan history. Founding president Jomo Kenyatta was prime minister for a year before his title was changed.
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