Ruto in a corner as allies bash Jubilee

Updated Saturday, July 6th 2013 at 09:32 GMT +3

BY COUNTY WEEKLY TEAM

Anxiety is growing in the Jubilee Government amid claims that some influential politicians from Deputy President William Ruto’s wing of the coalition were rocking the boat from within.

Knowledgeable sources say hard-hitting anti-government sentiments from Mr Ruto’s close allies have put him in an awkward position as he and President Uhuru Kenyatta battle to overcome the tough challenges already buffeting their four-month-old regime.

The Jubilee politicians who have been hitting out at the government over an alleged reluctance to support devolution are all from URP, a trend that sources say has alarmed the Deputy President.

 Senate Speaker Ekwe Ethuro, Senate Majority Leader Kindiki Kithure, Council of Governors chairman Isaac Rutto and the Chairman of the Devolution committee on Devolution Kipchumba Murkomen have been firing salvos at the national government over the devolution process.

 While Mr Ethuro has accused National Assembly speaker Justin Muturi of undermining the Senate, Prof Kithure, Mr Rutto and Mr Murkomen have accused the government of trying to kill devolution through the National Assembly.

Recently, Mr Uhuru and Mr Ruto called a crisis meeting at State House with Jubilee MPs to persuade the lawmakers to toe the coalition line.

Tension

“There is growing concern that all those attacking the government are powerful individuals from URP. This has caused jitters within the coalition,” said a senior official from TNA party.

 The official, who asked not to be named because of the sensitivity of the matter said the State House meeting had been necessitated by these concerns.

“The two leaders are concerned about the growing hostility between Jubilee members in the Senate and the National Assembly. They are particularly concerned at the continued attacks against Mr Muturi and the National Government,” he said.

URP sources say Mr Ruto is concerned that his close allies have been on the frontline in the battle between the Senate, the County Governments and the National Government.

“Ruto has found himself in catch 22 situation. While he may be unhappy with his allies hitting out at the government, he cannot openly criticise them for fear of being seen to be a dictator,” said Tom Korir, a retired trade unionist.

Tension has been building ever since the National Assembly rejected a Senate amendment to the Allocation of Revenue Bill.

The Senate had demanded changes to the Bill to increase funds allocated to County Governments to Sh258 billion from Sh210 billion as was set by the National Assembly members.

The National Assembly said the Senate lacked the power to change the Bill, but Mr Ethuro protested the move and wrote to the President to reject the Bill but the Head of the State went ahead and signed it into law.

On June 12, senators, county governors and the speakers of county assemblies met in Nairobi where they pledged to collect a million signatures for a petition to amend the Constitution to give the Senate power to introduce Bills and ensure that the interests of the newly created counties are protected.

Fidgety

Mr Ethuro, Kindiki and Murkomen led the senators in filing a petition at the Supreme Court seeking the court’s opinion on the constitutionality of the Allocation of Revenue Bill.

Mr Ethuro recently attacked Mr Muturi for allegedly flouting the Constitution by introducing ten Bills in the House without consulting the Senate.

The County Weekly has learnt that Mr Ruto recently held a meeting with Mr Murkomen, who is the Elgeyo/Marakwet senator and his Mandera counterpart Billow Kerrow where the Deputy President called on the URP leaders to support the government.

 Signs that the URP leadership was getting fidgety over growing dissent from some of its members became evident when a former party chairman, Nixon Korir asked those unhappy with the Jubilee government to quit coalition.

 But Mr Murkomen has defended himself against allegations that he was among those rocking the Jubilee Government from within, saying the issues he had raised were of national importance.

 “I am the biggest defender of the government both in and outside the Senate,” he says.

Mr Rutto, who is also Bomet governor, has been vocal in attacking the government.  He is among the leaders accusing the government of plotting to kill devolution.

Conscience

But some observers say those criticising the government’s handling of devolution were within their democratic rights.

A political analyst, Titus Bitok singled out Mr Murkomen and his Nandi counterpart Stephen Sang as independent thinkers whose fight for the full implementation of devolution must not be mistaken for dissent.

“The fact that both leaders have been in the legal field makes it difficult for them to overlook the rule of law at the expense of politics.

“Mr Murkomen for instance is the ‘mother’ of devolution and would not like to see the laws he contributed to drafting go down the drain,” says Mr Bitok.

He adds: ”It will be difficult for the two to bite the bullet and sing the political song while their conscience is not right.”

For political mileage and harmony, Mr Bitok warns the two leaders against taking strong positions that could disadvantage them in future. 

Some URP leaders from the North Rift region however think the claim that a section of URP leaders were rocking the government from within was a storm in a teacup.

Keiyo South National Assembly member Jackson Kiptanui termed the claims as baseless saying he was not aware of any misunderstandings within the Jubilee Government.