Former United Nations chief Kofi Annan yesterday praised Kenya's government for acting on reforms necessary to avoid a repeat of the bloodshed that followed the disputed 2007 presidential poll. Annan, who had been sharply critical of the pace of reforms when he last visited the country in October, credited local and international pressure for forcing Kenya's government to take action.

Since October Kenya's government has been working to reform the police and has agreed to work with the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court to see key perpetrators of the post-election violence tried at The Hague, Annan said. He said this showed momentum is gathering to push through reforms.