Nairobi, 2008 Jan 15, Al-Manar

Kenya's feuding political leaders braced for a showdown Tuesday at the first sitting of parliament since disputed presidential elections, with opposition MPs vowing to occupy the government benches. The face-off was scheduled ahead of the arrival of former UN chief Kofi Annan to take over efforts to mediate a resolution to the political deadlock.
  
Opposition leader Raila Odinga claims he was robbed of the presidency in the widely-contested December re-election of President Mwai Kibaki that triggered a wave of deadly violence, killing more than 700 people and displacing a quarter of a million. Central Nairobi was under a virtual lockdown ahead of the opening of the parliamentary session, with a massive police deployment including elite paramilitary units.
  
A showdown was expected inside the chamber after Odinga vowed his Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party, which won the most seats in the December 27 polls, would sit on the government benches. Police say more than 700 people were killed in riots and tribal killings following the announcement of Kibaki's re-election amid international concerns over flaws in the vote tallying.