Ruto must crack the whip on rebels to regain control of URP

Two things define Deputy President William Ruto and Member of Parliament Moses Kuria correctly. The first is that both are leaders by default. Secondly, they share an aversion for Raila Odinga and don’t make any pretext about it.

They have no apologies to make either. All political leaders, with the exception of the Deputy President who is an appendage of the presidential candidate, undergo the electoral process of voting which entails either a tick or cross on a ballot paper against a preferred candidate’s name by the voter. Mr Kuria did not undergo that process while Mr Ruto was exempted.

Overtly, President Uhuru Kenyatta’s magnanimity handed Ruto his job. On the other hand, President Kenyatta’s unseen hand and the desire by Jubilee mandarins not to antagonise the President handed Kuria the Gatundu South parliamentary seat through a by-election that never was.

By his own admission while campaigning, Kuria’s first business in the House as a Member of Parliament was to tame Raila for being a thorn in Jubilee’s flesh. The second order of business was to make sure those agitating for the referendum were made to personally foot the cost through an amendment to the law governing referendums. The third order of business for Kuria is to also amend the law to allow the National Government to freeze the bank accounts of counties whose governors want more money.

It does not require a lot of imagination to realise that the latest entrant to the August House, now a pale shadow of its former self, does not, possibly, understand the role of Parliament, the rules of engagement and the limitations the law puts on leaders when it comes to legislating. National Assembly Speaker Justin Muturi has an enormous task before him.

Providentially, Kuria’s tantrums are all but harmless threats, made before spirits at funerals and in churches. The MP’s public utterances denote him as a man who is averse to competition, fairness and the rule of law. A national leader who cannot take charge of his emotions, one who does not weigh his words in consideration of possible consequences, is not worth his weight in gold. The world’s greatest leaders are known more for their tact than invective.

Today, Ruto is presiding over the most rowdy political party in Kenya. He has failed to whip his party members into line, in the manner that the President has done with his TNA wing of the Jubilee coalition. TNA is a study in strong-arm politics, which tolerates no open challenge yet things are done in a quiet organised manner that does not raise too much suspicion, only conjecture. Jubilee’s weakest link is URP, a party undergoing an implosion likely to cripple it permanently.

Reminiscent of past power struggles inside ODM that led to a falling out and momentarily weakening of the party, URP has serious internal problems that pit Ruto against Governor Isaac Rutto and their allies.

While the Deputy President’s camp is led by the combative Aden Duale, Rutto’s camp has Alfred Keter who has been another thorn in Jubilee’s flesh.

Every big political party must have an aggressive point man who must maintain objectivity, knowing when to attack and when to retreat. A point man with suicidal tendencies, one who cannot retreat to reassess strategy, is a serious liability. That is the predicament the Deputy President’s camp finds itself in. They excel in demolishing bridges and strewing enemies wherever they pass.

The Deputy President must crack the whip on his belligerent lieutenants to regain control of URP. But there is a catch. He does not have the clout the President has over his team.

While the President is amiable, able to cede ground in some cases, William Ruto is not. He is a man who believes he must have his way and therein lies his Waterloo as far as restoring discipline within URP is concerned.