When President Uhuru Kenyatta took oath of office as Kenya’s President for a second term, exactly one year ago, he was cheered on largely by Jubilee party supporters in branded T-shirts, caps, wrappers and umbrellas. Except for the invited guests in the VIP stand, this was clearly a partisan audience. And Deputy President William Ruto could not help savouring Jubilee’s poll victory, with a chant “si uchawi, ni maombi (we did not win by magic but prayer)”, before leading the jubilant crowd waving party flags and the President’s portrait into singing a popular gospel chorus, “hakuna Mungu kama wewe (there is no Lord like you)”. Sixty days later, a section of the Kenyan population that did not consider itself part of the events of November 28, 2017 at Nairobi’s Kasarani stadium gathered at Uhuru Park for a mock swearing-in of opposition leader Raila Odinga as “the people’s president”.
Bill on Two-Thirds gender rule goes to the vote in Parliament as Uhuru Kenyatta, Raila Odinga rally MPs https://t.co/Pr2qNAFKud pic.twitter.com/uAyverop17
— NTV Kenya (@ntvkenya) November 28, 2018
Positive Sides
ANNOUNCE WINNER
At the event, Mr Odinga reiterated, “wakipiga, tunapiga, wakihesabu tunahesabu, wakijumlisha tunajumlisha, wakitangaza tunatangaza, wakiapisha tunaapisha (If they vote we also cast our vote, if they count we also count, if they tally the results we do likewise, if they announce a winner we do the same, and if they swear in their candidate, we also swear in ours)” — thereby hardening the political stances in the country. The hard positions led to violent street protests and loss of innocent lives.
Fast forward to today — November 28, 2018 — and the mouths spitting political venom have suddenly gone quiet, and the streets are calm and free of political protests. The political landscape has changed dramatically in just one year with Mr Odinga and Mr Kalonzo Musyoka, who were flagbearers of the opposition ticket, “working with” President Kenyatta’s government.
SECURED APPOINTMENTS
The two have similarly secured appointments as African Union’s High Representative for Infrastructure Development and envoy to South Sudan’s peace process, respectively. United at last year’s August polls, the opposition has since collapsed, with Mr Odinga and Mr Musyoka opting to work with Mr Kenyatta and Ford-Kenya party leader Moses Wetang’ula leaning towards Mr Ruto. The developments have arguably left Amani National Congress leader Musalia Mudavadi as the sole face of the opposition.
Now Mr Mudavadi, the founder of National Super Alliance, describes the current political tranquility as “a false calm, hiding in a devastating storm” — a view shared by a section of opposition politicians who fear the opposition may be playing into Jubilee’s net.
“This is not about weakening the opposition,” says Jubilee party vice-chairman David Murathe. The one-time MP for Gatanga explains that Mr Odinga’s decision to work with the President “is a most welcome gesture, which has resulted in political tranquility in the country and helped the President to focus on realising his Big Four development agenda and concentrate on securing his legacy.”
UNITY
“Otherwise, the handshake is not a ploy to finish anybody politically, including Mr Odinga or the DP. At the moment we are focusing on uniting the country because we cannot be in a campaign mode forever. Soon every Kenyan will be at liberty to put forward their agenda for mwananchi,” Mr Murathe told the Nation.
National Assembly Minority Leader and ODM chairman John Mbadi similarly dismissed talk of being caged by the government. According to Mr Mbadi, the new arrangement has only changed the opposition’s approach to pushing the people’s agenda by lobbying in Parliament and the Executive, as opposed to “taking to the streets”.
Nonetheless, things have not been rosy within the opposition. Vocal Siaya Senator James Orengo has since replaced Mr Wetang’ula as Senate Minority Leader in a move that saw the Bungoma senator famously threaten “that such a divorce would be noisy and messy”. Other leading opposition politicians, including Wetang’ula’s deputy at Ford-Kenya, Dr Boni Khalwale, have since changed allegiance.
A light-hearted moment with President Uhuru Kenyatta of #Kenya dropping in @FAO booth at #BlueEconomyConference. Talks to FAO staff manning the booth and marveled at innovative products and extended kudos to team for helping communities and people @FAOKenya @FAOfish pic.twitter.com/tocK7cZWBP
— Daisy Leoncio (@DaisyLeoncio) November 27, 2018
DEVELOPMENT
Noting that he has spent decades on podiums every election year campaigning on the platform of integrity and development, the former Kakamega senator regrets that issues do not fly in Kenya: “If issues mattered, we would have succeeded to vote out Ruto and (President) Kenyatta in 2013 when they were facing serious charges at The Hague, or last year owing to corruption in the Jubilee administration. What matters, however, is tribalism and a good coalition of tribes is what one needs to State House.”
Grand opening of sustainable Blue economy by HE the president of the Republic of Kenya Uhuru Kenyatta. pic.twitter.com/nn7KJ7zqzm
— Langat K. Benson (@KBensonLangat) November 26, 2018
Negative Sides
CORRUPTION
“The cabinet is made up of people who are presiding over corruption like in the case of many ministries. That brings you to the painful conclusion that Mr Kenyatta’s Cabinet has not been tasked with doing the work. I think the work is being done elsewhere. That is the only way you cannot seek for accountability except for pretence in the public,” he said.
Like Prof Mutua, Mr Manyora takes a dim view of the Cabinet, saying it was “pointless to be pointing out and isolating those who have performed and the non-performers.”
“Forget about it. They are all the same. So I give them grade C, five out of 10 for the effort. But for results, there cannot be any,” Mr Manyora says.
Moi University’s Prof Odhiambo Ndege rated the CSs one by one, and ranked Monica Juma of Foreign Affairs as the best at 70 per cent, saying “she possesses the requisite intellectual credentials for the position and has so performed professionally.”
STORM OVER MAIZE
Dr Juma is also favourably rated by Consumer Federation of Kenya (Cofek) secretary-general Stephen Mutoro, who ranks Interior CS Fred Matiang’i the highest at six out of 10.
Despite being in the eye of a storm over the maize saga, Prof Ndege still rates Mr Kiunjuri at 50 per cent, with his Tourism counterpart Najib Balala at 55 per cent, with the history professor saying Mr Balala has made “good efforts to sell Kenya’s tourism abroad.”
He rates Education CS Amina Mohamed at 10 per cent, while Mutoro says Ms Mohamed is “passionless.”
Mr Rotich of Treasury is given a three out of 10 by Mr Mutoro citing rising debt, which has now hit Sh5 trillion, and failed austerity measures, while Prof Ndege gives him a 20 per cent.
“History will judge him harshly for misleading the Executive in matters financial, particularly with regards to astronomic amounts of foreign and domestic borrowing,” Prof Ndege said of Mr Rotich.
INCREASE IN OIL PRICES
Energy CS Charles Keter was rated 10 per cent, with Prof Ndege saying, “He should be accountable for the mess in the energy sector. In developed countries, the rapid increase of oil prices often brings down regimes.”
Mr Eugene Wamalwa of Water was given a 30 per cent score, with Prof Ndege indicting him over his engagement in politics that he said had kept him away from his core mandate.
“These CSs have not met the expectations of Kenyans. The president is frustrated and the ministers appear to have no answers or are held hostage by dark, unknown forces,” Makueni senator Mutula Kilonzo Jr said of the Cabinet, asking the president to sack those found to be incompetent.
Already, at least two CSs have been targeted by a section of Jubilee MPs for impeachment. Twice, in March and May, there have been attempts to impeach Health CS Sicily Kariuki, first after she sent former Kenyatta National Hospital chief executive Lily Koros on forced leave and after the emergence of the second National Youth Service scandal. In August, again there was a failed attempt to impeach another CS, this time Mr Rotich.
COLLECTIVE RESPONSIBILITY
Besides their own performance, there is also concern over cases where CSs publicly denounced each other, or contradicted government positions on crucial issues.
Normally, the Cabinet is guided by the principal of collective responsibility, in which ministers should publicly support government decisions made at Cabinet level even if they do not agree with them.
Take the case of Land Cabinet Secretary Farida Karoney and her Environment counterpart Keriako Tobiko on the state of the title deeds in Mau Forest.
While Mr Tobiko had a few days earlier told the National Assembly Environment Committee that the land documents in the Mau “are just pieces of paper because they were issued fraudulently”, Ms Karoney had a different story, saying that no one can “just announce that they are fraudulent.”
SUGAR SCANDAL
One month later in June, it was the case of the mercury-in-sugar scandal, and the infamous confusion caused by conflicting statements by Dr Matiang’i and his then Trade counterpart Adan Mohamed.
The two CSs later released a joint statement saying they were all united in the fight against fake goods, further confusing Kenyans who were desperate for a clear position on the toxicity of the impounded sugar.
On the controversial Ruaraka land where Senate and National Assembly committees have found that money was paid to an individual for a public land, Ms Mohamed appeared to throw his colleague Dr Matiang’i under the bus.