Crisis talks for Kenya coalition

Raila Odinga had said the media law should be reviewed

The party of Kenya's Prime Minister Raila Odinga is holding crisis talks amid complaints it is being sidelined by President Mwai Kibaki.

The Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) is meeting in Nairobi to discuss its position in the coalition government.

ODM leaders say they were not consulted by their coalition partners over a new media law, among other major decisions.

Antagonism between the two parties last year after polls plunged Kenya into the worst violence since independence.

Correspondents say Monday's ODM talks, led by Prime Minster Raila Odinga, mark the first open signs of a serious rift in the coalition government, which is three months away from marking its first anniversary.

ODM parliamentary group secretary Ababu Namwamba told Kenya's Standard newspaper: "As partners in this coalition, we are asking for some respect."

Later in the week the party is expected to meet again in Nairobi to discuss the way forward on the National Accord, which paved the way for the ODM to share power with President Mwai Kibaki's the Party of National Unity (PNU) after last year's post-election violence.

The ODM has been unhappy with recent decisions involving the constitution of an interim Electoral Commission of Kenya, which was disbanded after last year's poll-related bloodshed, and the appointment of ambassadors.

The party also says President Kibaki did not consult Prime Minister Odinga when he signed into law on Friday a media bill that journalist critics say will muzzle the press.

Nobel laureate Wangari Maathai on Sunday criticised the president for signing the bill, saying he had turned his back against a media that had elevated him to the presidency.

Kenyans would not surrender basic freedoms for which they had fought for many years, he said.

The Kenyan Communications Amendment Bill gives the authorities the power to raid media offices, tap phones and control broadcast content on grounds of national security.

President Kibaki said on Friday that the bill was crucial for Kenya's economic development and would safeguard moral values.