PHOTO | JARED NYATAYA President Kenyatta and Deputy President William
Ruto during a rally to thank North Rift residents for voting in the
Jubilee government at Eldoret Sports Club on December 16.
NATION
The year 2013 brought good fortunes to
some politicians who had been pushed to the periphery in the last five
years, although they had to engage in tough battles to find their way
back to the political limelight.
PRESIDENT UHURU KENYATTA
Although
he was a Deputy Prime Minister in the Grand Coalition Government, his
political star was largely dimmed by his indictment at the ICC. His
naming among the Ocampo Six and the confirmation of his trial seemed to
take away his popularity for a moment.
However, last
year Mr Kenyatta launched a strong campaign under the Jubilee coalition
that defied waves to win the March presidential election, beating former
Prime Minister Raila Odinga by more than 800,000 votes.
The
Supreme Court’s affirmation that he had won the election gave him the
leeway to create the first Cabinet under the new Constitution. He
streamlined the blotted ministries, creating only 18 out of the 40
operating in the last government.
DEPUTY PRESIDENT WILLIAM RUTO
Having
fell out with Mr Odinga in ODM and facing trial at the ICC, Mr Ruto
warmed his way up to the government as the second in command through the
Jubilee coalition.
His United Republican Party joined
hands with President Kenyatta’s TNA to form the winning coalition. Mr
Ruto who amassed the Rift Valley votes to ensure Mr Kenyatta ascension
to the presidency, initially found the going tough when he irredeemably
fell out with Mr Odinga.
He was kicked out of the
grand coalition but managed to lock in the Rift Valley support and used
it to ascend to the Deputy President position.
MINING CABINET SECRETARY NAJIB BALALA
Towards
the end of last year, his career seemed headed for disaster but he
turned it around when he teamed up with Mr Kenyatta, Mr Ruto and Ms
Charity Ngilu to form the Jubilee coalition summit.
Like
Mr Ruto, Mr Balala fell out with the ODM leader and formed his own
party, the Republican Congress Party, which he used to vie for the
Mombasa senatorship. He lost to Wiper’s Omar Hassan but was later
appointed the Cabinet Secretary for Mining
.
.
LANDS CABINET SECRETARY CHARITY NGILU
Despite
trotting between the two major coalitions towards the March 4
elections, the veteran politician and Narc leader, finally settled with
Jubilee and instantly became one of the leading faces during the
campaigns. She lost her quest for Kitui senate seat to Mr David Musila.
However, Mr Kenyatta appointed her the Cabinet Secretary for the powerful Lands docket in the new-look Cabinet
.
.
LABOUR CABINET SECRETARY KAZUNGU KAMBI
He
is a close friend of Deputy President William Ruto and was appointed to
the docket after losing his quest for Kaloleni parliamentary seat. He
was one of the URP front men during the campaigns and got the plum job
courtesy of his friendship with the DP.
NATIONAL ASSEMBLY SPAKER JUSTIN MUTURI
He
vied and lost the Siakago parliamentary seat on a TNA ticket. However,
the party picked him to vie for the seat against former Speaker Kenneth
Marende who was fronted by ODM. He easily won the Speaker’s seat thanks
to the Jubilee coalition numbers in the House.
SENATE SPEAKER EKWE ETHURO
The
Speaker was picked by URP to contest the seat and was helped to it by
the majority Jubilee members in the House. He lost the election for
Turkana Senate to Mr John Munyes of Cord
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