Kenya ratifies new constitution

The Kenyan president has signed into law a new constitution, which will significantly alter the east African country's power structure. Tens of thousands of residents thronged Nairobi's Uhuru Park as Mwai Kibaki signed the documents on Friday. In a referendum earlier this month, nearly 70 per cent of Kenyan voters approved the new constitution which addresses corruption, political patronage, land grabbing and tribalism. The peaceful conduct of the referendum stood in stark contrast to a highly contested 2007 general election that degenerated into weeks of violence in which at least 1,300 people were killed. But Mutula Kilonzo, the country's justice minister, said the adoption of the new constitution will usher in a "rebirth" for Kenya.