A memorandum of understanding (MOU) was signed on 29 August 2007 by Sheikh Abdullahi Abdi, chairman of the National Leaders Forum (Namlef), and Raila Odinga, presidential candidate from the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM).
Despite being signed in late August, the MOU was not made public until 27 November 2007.
However, according to International Christian Concern (ICC) there are in fact two versions of the MOU. Persecution watchdog International Christian Concern claims that a private MOU was signed between Sheikh Abdi and Odinga which is very different from the one presented to the public.
ICC says that in the secret version of the MOU, Odinga, if elected, would "within six months, rewrite the Constitution of Kenya to recognise Sharia as the only true law sanctioned by the Holy Quran for Muslim declared regions".
Odinga is currently seen as the favourite for the election which takes place on 27 December 2007.
In response to the revelations the Evangelical Alliance of Kenya released a statement in which church leaders said, "In both MOUs, honourable Raila comes across as a presumptive Muslim president bent on forcing Islamic law, religion and culture down the throats of the Kenyan people in total disregard of the Constitutionally guaranteed rights of freedom of worship and equal protection of the law for all Kenyans."
The chairman of the Evangelical Alliance of Kenya, Rev Dr Wellington Mutiso told ICC, "Kenya should continue to be a secular state. Christians want a level playing ground where [Christians and Muslims] are treated equally.
"We [Kenyan Christians] are opposed to any move at favouring a particular religious group by political parties."
In addition, the ICC regional manager for Africa, Darara Gubo said, "This agreement made with Muslim leaders undermines the secular nature of Kenya and opens a Pandora's box of chaos and conflict similar to what happened in Nigeria and Sudan.
"This is not a stand-alone incident; rather, it is part of strategy to Islamize Eastern Africa and the Horn of Africa, through the introduction of Sharia law."
