US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice today called for power-sharing between the feuding Kenyan parties to end the post-election crisis.
"There needs to be a governance arrangement that will allow real power-sharing . . . a grand coalition so that Kenyans can be governed," Ms Rice said after meeting former UN chief Kofi Annan, who is leading efforts to end the turmoil.
She was also due to hold talks with President Mwai Kibaki and his rival, opposition leader Raila Odinga. Mr Odinga says Mr Kibaki stole the election, a charge the president denies.
Ms Rice is the highest-ranking US official to visit Kenya since a December 27th vote sparked ethnic violence that has left at least 1,000 people dead.
Yesterday, Kenya's foreign minister rebuked those who tried to pressure it into a deal. "We encourage our friends to support us and not make any mistake of putting a gun to anybody's head and saying 'either/or', because that cannot work," Moses Wetangula said.
"Even if we get visitors to help us in any way possible, the answer to the problem in Kenya lies with Kenyans themselves."
Both sides of Kenya 's political divide have agreed to an independent review of the contested ballot - but not what to do about it or what form a power-sharing administration might take.
President Bush, who is on the second leg of a five-nation Africa tour, says Washington wants to help the talks, not dictate a solution.