President Kibaki appeals for calm over petition ruling

Nairobi, Kenya: President Kibaki has called for Kenyans to stay calm when the Supreme Court delivers a ruling on the presidential election petition on Saturday.

"As the country awaits the Supreme Court ruling which is due this Easter weekend, I call upon all of us to accept the ruling and maintain peace," President Kibaki said in a message to mark the Christian holiday.

"Kenyans should resume their routine economic activities as soon as possible to return normalcy in the country," he said.

Both President-elect Uhuru Kenyatta and Prime Minister Raila Odinga have said they would respect the ruling and said they would keep any disputes off the streets.

Kenya's Supreme Court met for a last brief session on Friday so legal teams could review results of recounts ordered in 22 of the 33,400 polling stations.

"Keep your cellphones open, because we don't know when we are going to summon you tomorrow (to issue the ruling)," Chief Justice Willy Mutunga told lawyers at the end of the session where both sides said the recount supported their arguments.

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-Reuters