(Adds Kibaki, Odinga quotes)

By C. Bryson Hull

NAIROBI, March 18 (Reuters) - The power-sharing deal to end Kenya's post-election crisis went before parliament on Tuesday, expected to win swift approval from rival legislators in a rare conciliatory mood.

The agreement between President Mwai Kibaki and opposition leader Raila Odinga must get parliament's backing, in the form of a law and a constitutional amendment. The latter will need a two-thirds majority -- or 144 of 216 sitting legislators.

Investors in Kenya's economy -- knocked hard by the crisis but still seen as being among Africa's most promising -- are keenly watching whether the deal will go through smoothly.

More than 1,000 people were killed and at least 300,000 left homeless during the violence that erupted after Odinga accused Kibaki of stealing the election.

The legislation will create the position of prime minister for Odinga and deputy slots for his party and Kibaki's coalition. The cabinet will also be split evenly between both sides to form a unity government.

That government must then tackle the bigger task of changing Kenya's constitution within 12 months to address underlying issues of power, inequality and land which the eruption of political violence laid bare.

Kibaki, in a rare appearance in parliament, urged legislators to stay unified:

"Where we have come to now is a joy. We are genuinely seeking a solution to our problem. I am quite sure myself that we have found an answer. I have no doubt that everybody in this house will agree -- let us above all write the constitution."

Odinga also addressed the chamber before the vote on the constitutional amendment, the first piece of legislation required for the deal to take effect.

"We know why we are where we are, but let us get out of this place. We need to feel part and parcel of one and the same. Let us now fuse together as one people who want to do something for the people of Kenya," he said to loud applause.

Kenyans have tended to view parliament with disdain in the past, more as a place for politicians to serve their own interests than for tackling weighty issues.

When he brokered the deal, Annan separated his solution into an immediate power-sharing agreement and then tasked the new government with fixing the underlying problems through a constitutional review.

Matters of land, power and inequality had cropped up during violence in earlier elections, but never on the scale they did this time around -- dealing a big setback to an economy powered by tourism, trade and agriculture.

Parliament has come under widespread criticism from Kenyans in the past.

Legislators have often failed to make the quorum needed for decisions to be taken despite working two days in each week and only 26 weeks a year. With salaries on par with U.S. senators and home loans plus generous car allowances, members of parliament are in the ranks of Kenya's rich elite.

(Additional reporting by Wangui Kanina; Editing by Matthew Tostevin)

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