At public events, President Uhuru Kenyatta and opposition leader Raila
Odinga appear best of friends, but take hardline positions when
elections are called. PHOTO FILE | NATION
Kenya’s President Uhuru Kenyatta and opposition leader Raila
Odinga continue with their duel into the New Year, even as they face
internal dissent over the just-concluded sharing of positions in
parliamentary committees.
Barely a month after the
repeat presidential election, which Mr Odinga boycotted, internal
dissent has erupted over sharing of key parliamentary positions and the
nominees to the East African Legislative Assembly.
President
Kenyatta and Mr Odinga will be working overtime to quell the dissent
ahead of the proposed national dialogue being supported by the
international community to heal the country after a protracted electoral
process that ended on November 28.
Amani National
Congress (ANC) noted that ODM has not reciprocated the support Mr Odinga
received when other coalition principals shelved their presidential
ambitions to back him as main opposition candidate.
Watchdog committees
“ODM
is deliberately cutting deals with Jubilee in parliament to secure
seats. This we have seen in the Public Accounts Committee and Public
Investment Committee elections,” said ANC spokesman Kibisu Kabatesi.
The PAC and PIC are key watchdog committees, which are
traditionally held by the opposition leaders in parliament due to their
important role of auditing expenditure and investments to ensure public
funds are not lost.
But Nasa Chief Whip Junet Mohamed
said the chairmanship of committees is elective and Jubilee could have
ganged up against other candidates, which proved tricky for ODM to
counter.
However, Mr Mohamed noted that opposition MPs
will make decisions collectively to face Jubilee in Parliament and push
for reforms the country needs regardless of the committee memberships.
Similar
complaints have pervaded Jubilee Party where MPs from Deputy President
William Ruto’s backyard have accused Leader of Majority Aden Duale of
shortchanging them after some of their colleagues were recalled from
their committees.
Majority Whip Benjamin Washiali
recalled four MPs from their committees after they “defied” the party
position to win elections for the leadership of Environmental, Social
Welfare and Agriculture Committees.
Looming duel
President
Kenyatta and Mr Odinga will be relying on unity within their parties
for a looming duel in Parliament where key appointments will be vetted
once a new Cabinet is named.
Rivalry between the two
leaders is also expected to take centrestage at the international
community-backed national dialogue, which will be midwifed in January by
the business community, trade unions, civil society and clerics.
Mr
Odinga is spoiling for a protracted war with the Kenyatta
administration, warning that a lasting solution to electoral
mismanagement must be found if Kenyans are to keep faith in future
polls.
Mr Odinga’s avowed plan to be sworn in has put
the government on high alert. Attorney General Prof Githu Muigai has
warned that such a move will attract treason charges, which if proven by
court, would see Mr Odinga face the hangman’s noose.
But
the Nasa leader has defied warnings by President Kenyatta to drop
debate on possible secession as Raila went ahead to launch the People’s
Assemblies as the vehicles to lead the crusade for constitutional
reforms and secession, in protest against what the opposition terms
rigging of elections.
He dared the government to arrest
him for treason, saying he was ready to die if that could bring an end
to electoral fraud that has been meted out on Kenyans over the past
three general elections.
Odinga’s legacy
Mr
Odinga is also on the warpath with the international community, mainly
America, which has told him to drop the proposed swearing in plan lest
he dents his legacy as a democrat.
Mr Odinga has
enjoyed the support of the West and US in previous elections, and has
held a series of meetings with diplomats in Nairobi to strike a deal
with President Kenyatta on post-election conflict.
US
ambassador Robert Godec and other Western diplomats have met Mr Odinga
both at his residence in the suburbs of Nairobi and in his private
offices, which culminated to cancellation of swearing in of Mr Odinga on
December 12.
According to sources, the Western
diplomats are convinced that Mr Odinga can play a role in reconciliation
and reconstruction of the country, which is needed due to protracted
and divisive electoral process.
In addition, the
diplomats mainly Mr Godec and Germany ambassador to Kenya Jutta Frasch
who has also hosted religious and trade unions’ leaders to support calls
for dialogue, contend that Mr Odinga has a large following across the
country that cannot be ignored.
“We strongly support
the proposal by business & religious leaders for a national
conversation to openly and transparently address issues of national
interest involving all Kenyans,” German embassy in Nairobi said on
Twitter last week.
Peoples Assembly
The
group’s co-chair Lee Karuri said the caucus will become active early in
the year to provide a platform for all Kenyans to discuss issues that
were brought up by various players in the electoral process under Vision
2030 framework.
“With the support of the
international community, multi-sectoral forum will be constituted in the
month of January 2018,” the group said last week.
But
in a swift rejoinder, Nasa distanced itself from the proposed dialogue,
saying it has already established the People’s Assemblies as the vehicle
for national debate with Kenyans directly.
According
to Nasa, the agenda of the proposed dialogue does not address their
concerns, which is mainly political and socio-economic as the group had
suggested.
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