There has been a push from Deputy President William Ruto and his backers for President Kenyatta to be clear about the 2022 succession.
Unusual direct attacks on President Uhuru Kenyatta by Jubilee leaders allied to his deputy have laid bare his dilemma as he tries to balance competing interests in his last and final term.
This is to take care of the various interests in the Jubilee Party political patchwork to avoid disintegration.
Then there is a commitment to Opposition leader Raila Odinga to make Kenya politically and ethnically cohesive through the loose March 9, 2018 handshake. This also meshes with various reforms, some of which could require a referendum.
Then there is the President’s legacy that includes his ‘Big Four Agenda’ and the renewed fight against corruption that has in recent weeks been caught up in political battles that threaten to tear apart the ruling party.
The options Mr Kenyatta chooses could change the political landscape and define his legacy.
So far, there is little bliss in Jubilee. The murmurs from Dr Ruto’s corner, for instance, have graduated to open protests and now to outright reproach.
Last week, Senate Majority Leader Kipchumba Murkomen summed it up by slamming the President and Mr Odinga, describing the handshake pact between the two as “deceitful”, “shameful” and “the worst political fraud ever witnessed” in Kenya.
Three days later, on Wednesday, Senate Minority Leader James Orengo appeared to pour oil on the already burning fire when he suggested that Mr Odinga’s ODM was teaming up with the President to grab power in 2022.
Although he explained, during a TV interview, that Mr Odinga was not necessarily angling for presidency, the alleged “coalition” angle to the handshake deal is headache enough for the President, held hostage by these competing forces. ODM and Mr Orengo have since downplayed the comments.
But senators Orengo and Murkomen are not your ordinary politicians. They hold leadership positions in the Senate, courtesy of their influence and authority in their parties and closeness to Mr Odinga and Dr Ruto, respectively.