Opposition MPs accuse Jubilee of intimidating CORD governors

By Geoffrey Mosoku

Kenya: CORD and Jubilee are headed for a second major clash in less than a week over what the opposition claims are attempts to intimidate its governors.

CORD believes the ruling Jubilee coalition is strategising to control counties under the sway of the opposition.

The matter is likely to come up during a retreat in Kisumu for senators and governors elected under the CORD ticket planned for this weekend to discuss the threats.

At the centre of the claims are the tribulations of Nairobi Governor Evans Kidero who is at loggerheads with Nairobi Woman Rep Rachel Shebesh. A Nairobi court ordered the two to reconcile by yesterday or else the matter would proceed to full hearing, but the Woman Rep has since rejected the reconciliation efforts and vowed to face the ODM governor in court.

CORD leaders claim the matter is being used by a section of the Jubilee coalition to try and squeeze out political concessions from Kidero.

ODM party leader and formerPrime Minister Raila Odinga’s spokesman Dennis Onyango said the party was keenly watching developments around the Kidero-Shebesh clash and see it as increasingly getting political.

“A section of Jubilee appears to be nursing a feeling that the Nairobi governor is on his own. Raila’s position is that he stands with every leader who was elected on the Cord ticket who is being blackmailed or forced by Jubilee to fail, and his party (ODM) will solidly stand with the Nairobi governor legally and politically against Jubilee,” Onyango said.

Yesterday Dagoretti North MP Simba Arati, his Suna East counterpart Junet Mohamed and former Nairobi mayor George Aladwa said they were aware of the scheme.

They asked why the State was planning to charge Kidero with assault and prefer a less serious misdemeanor of causing disturbance on Shebesh yet both had secured P3 form and recorded statement.

“Don’t you sense something sinister where when two people have a P3 form from the police for assault yet Kidero’s charge is approved and Shebesh’s changed to a mere case of causing a disturbance? Why can’t they both be charged for assault?” Simba wondered.

Political favours

Those who spoke to The Standard said Raila regard’s Kidero’s problems in the same light as what Marsabit Governor Ukur Yatani is being subjected to, and may face other Cord-governed counties to force them to support Jubilee.

On Friday, Raila launched a scathing attack on Deputy President William Ruto over threats to disband Marsabit County over insecurity.

Raila believes its other governors in Wajir and Turkana are equally being denied National Government security support so as to be seen to be failing.

Some in Cord said Jubilee is turning the Kidero-Shebesh case into a gravy train of blackmail while pretending to get the two to reconcile.

Cord is said to be planning a meeting with all the county’s MCAs to rally them firmly behind Kidero. Cord believes Jubilee is trying to persuade the Nairobi MCAs to gang up against Kidero and oust him. A senior Jubilee leader is said to have sent a delegation to the governor with a promise to negotiate a truce between him and Shebesh in return for political favours and a public acknowledgment of this help.

Cord said Jubilee has been trying to convince the MCAs that ODM is behind the reluctance by Shebesh not to reconcile with Kidero.

Aladwa said they would mobilise Cord supporters over the matter.

“We will be holding a major protest as Cord to express our support for the Governor,” Aladwa, who is also the chairman of ODM in Nairobi, added.

“There is a scheme to frustrate county governments under Cord. Marsabit, Turkana, Wajir and even Tana River are some of those targeted,” Junet claimed. But National Assembly Majority Leader Aden Duale (Jubilee) dismissed the accusations by Cord saiding the ruling party has no reason to blackmail anyone into supporting them.

“Jubilee is super, it has majority in the Senate and National Assembly and enough governors to push its agenda through. The case between Kidero and Shebesh is a criminal matter, which is between the two, and if they don’t reconcile, like any other Kenyan who breaks the law, they will have to be accountable (for their actions). Jubilee was not there when Kidero slapped Shebesh or Shebesh caused a disturbance,” he said.

Duale insisted that Marsabit Governor Ukuru Yattan has no option but to work with the Jubilee government to find a lasting solution to insecurity.

“Security is an obligation that is vested in national Government and he has no choice but to work with government of Uhuru Kenyatta. Sitting with Raila, Johnstone Muthama and James Orengo won’t help him since they don’t have State apparatus to help solve the problem,” he added.

Discharge duty

Duale insisted that Government would not hesitate to invoke Article 192 of the Constitution in disbanding any county if it is unable to discharge its duty.

Also dismissing Cord’s claims was Kajiado West MP Moses Ole Sakuda who said: “When President Uhuru was given the (ceremonial) sword at Kasarani (during his inauguration), he was mandated to protect all Kenyans from Kisumu to Mombasa, Kajiado to Wajir, Tana river to Bungoma. He cannot now coerce anybody into working with him. Those are rumours and innuendoes by Cord which is looking for relevance.”

TNA chairman and nominated MP Johnson Sakaja dismissed the allegations blackmail. “There is nothing like that, it can only come from fertile imaginations,” he said.

He said the national and county governments have a mutual relationship and there is no need to coerce or blackmail anyone.

He noted that even governors from Cord have chosen to work with the Jubilee administration.