Uhuru Kenyatta, William Ruto oppose Ann Waiguru censure bid

Ann Waiguru                   PHOTO: COURTESY

Kenya: It has emerged that President Uhuru Kenyatta and his deputy William Ruto are opposed to the impeachment Motion against Devolution Cabinet Secretary Anne Waiguru and only learnt about it through the media.

The Motion by Igembe South MP Mithika Linturi has rocked the Jubilee coalition, with MPs divided on the issue.

The Standard on Sunday has also learnt that Ruto told the President he would address the issue at his meetings in Kericho County yesterday and bring it to rest.

Despite the intervention to save the minister, some TNA MPs are determined to go ahead with the impeachment, buoyed by the more than 100 signatures they say they have already collected.

Gilgil MP Samwel Ndiritu said MPs were aggrieved by the way the Cabinet Secretary treats them. “MPs are unhappy because they feel like the Cabinet Secretary is difficult to deal with. Attempts to get an appointment with her are always futile,” said Ndiritu.

However, Kajiado West MP Moses ole Sakuda said the impeachment Motion was in bad faith, arguing that MPs were attempting to micromanage the CS.“The Constitution gives powers to the Cabinet Secretaries to execute?their duties, and they can decide who to promote, demote or transfer within their dockets,” said Sakuda.

Juja MP Francis Waititu said TNA lawmakers had embarrassed the party?by signing the petition without going into the root of the matter. “Some are saying they are going to withdraw their signatures,?but that is legally not possible because Parliament is already seized of the matter and must go to the plenary,” said Waititu.

Yesterday, Sakuda confirmed that President Kenyatta had made his position on the impeachment Motion clear to MPs within the Jubilee coalition.

“Anne Waiguru is not going anywhere and you can take that to the bank. That is something we, as MPs, have discussed and agreed with the President.  There are major reforms in the NYS and those changes had to be made,” he said.

Prior information

That happened as it also emerged that both President Kenyatta and Ruto did not have prior information before the Motion was filed and only got to learn about it for the first time in the media.

But speaking to The Standard on Sunday at the weekend, Linturi would neither confirm nor deny a meeting or a discussion with Uhuru regarding the matter. “Whether I have met or discussed this matter with the President or not is not a matter I can’t discuss in the media. That is a private issue involving me and the President,” Linturi said.

He added: “Let me be honest, I have a personal relationship with the President, he has been my friend for a long time and he still is. If it had been a matter involving him as a person or as the president of Kenya, I would be on the front line in his defence. I don’t think the President would want to gag me. At any rate, it’s a matter that does not involve him”.

Linturi went on to say: “The plane is on auto pilot, it can’t just land. If there is a forced landing, it will crash. For this reason, it has to be navigated safely in the skies so that when it finally lands, everybody is safe. The number is signatures I have received are overwhelming. By yesterday, I had 136 signatures.”

Linturi was speaking amid reports that he went to Harambee House on Thursday with a view of meeting the president but he did not manage to see the head of state. Linturi refuted this report.

Deputy Majority leader in the National Assembly Naomi Shaban said the Jubilee coalition has capacity to deal with such issues internally.

Riding in high seas

“I think that it is very difficult to be in a ship in high seas and begin to throw grenades because you will drown. Jubilee coalition is like a ship and this coalition is there to stay. Leadership is about knowing how to deal with issues internally,” she said. However, Linturi indicated he will proceed with the Motion because he has received overwhelming signatures to support the impeachment Motion.

“Because I have seen MPs being intimidated not to sign, let it be clear that this is a Mithika Linturi Motion, it’s not a Motion of the Jubilee coalition. If they want to turn it into a Jubilee Motion, then the procedure is that they must convene a Kamukuji where members will vote and take a position on this matter,” said Linturi

Linturi said the Motion is not one that targets President Kenyatta’s government but one that addresseses itself to issues of the law.

Wise counsel

“I fought very hard for this government to get to power; I was the president’s bodyguard during the campaigns. People have forgotten to look at my Motion keenly. I have not said Anne is not competent she is very competent. I have addressed myself to certain articles of the Constitution that I feel the Cabinet Secretary has offended. She is under duty to give the president wise counsel which she failed to do on the issue of NYS appointment,” added Linturi

Muranga County Women representative Sabina Wanjiru Chege however said political personal vendetta against Waiguru seems to have motivated some of the leaders fighting her.

“My proposal going forward is that we will need to create a forum where Members of Parliament get to interact and exchange briefs with Cabinet Secretaries so that we significantly reduce the gap between MPs and ministers,” she said.