Unfazed, Kibaki said: "I will personally lead our country in promoting unity, tolerance, peace and harmony."
The ODM disagreed: "The violence and the breakdown of law and order is a direct result of the announcement of fraudulent results and until that is resolved, peace will continue to be elusive."
Annan, who arrived in Kenya late on Tuesday after several failed attempts to unblock the stalemate, warned that the continuing violence had to stop, after 12 deaths were reported overnight on Wednesday in new clashes.
What started as political unrest has transformed into tribal rivalries and led to looting and some infrastructure sabotage, affecting the economy and now threatening the stability of the country.
After a police crackdown on opposition demonstrations last week, Annan said measures would be taken in response to "the excessive use of force by the police."
It was unclear what the next step would be, but Annan underlined that "time is of the essence."
Annan on Wednesday convinced Odinga to call off new protest rallies scheduled for the next day after deadly clashes were sparked by similar banned demonstrations last week.
Human Rights Watch meanwhile accused opposition officials of inciting clashes in the western Rift Valley, scene of some of the worst violence.
"Attacks by several ethnic communities against others, especially local Kikuyu populations [Kibaki's tribe], were planned soon after the elections," the group said in a statement. "In some cases, local leaders and opposition politicians appear to have incited and organized the violence."
The ODM rejected the accusation, with spokesman Salim Lone saying: "We would like to see concrete evidence."
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