How Uhuru has gone for a firm grip on power

Those close to him promised the country a ruthless President Uhuru Kenyatta, a promise Kenya’s fourth President has lived up to in the first few months of his second and final term.

He has uncharacteristically read the riot act to his ministers, marshalled Jubilee parliamentarians to do his bidding and has now firmly set his eyes, through party hawks, at the Judiciary which he and those close to him, have termed rogue on several occasions.

A letter delivered to Chief Justice David Maraga on Wednesday by President Kenyatta’s Jubilee Party, complete with a retinue of reasons on why they believed the judicial arm was working in cahoots with the Opposition, could according to Law Society of Kenya (LSK) President Isaac Okero prepare the ground for a complete control of the country.

“What we need to do now is reconcile whether what is happening across the country is in tandem with the social contract with Kenyans and determine if it is right. Your guess is as good as mine,” said Okero.

Since he was sworn in for his second term, Uhuru has -- in the words of his close ally and Jubilee Party Vice Chairman David Murathe -- been gearing to be “ruthless, lethal and brutal in dealing with national issues”.

In an interview with KTN mid last year, Mr Murathe said Uhuru would be so engrossed in leaving a legacy behind that no one will ever forget and will seek to end every vice that has bedeviled Kenyans and put things in place.

“He was familiarising himself with the establishment in the first term,” he said.

Okero said Murathe’s statement has come to pass: “No one, including the President came out to denounce Murathe’s argument. That seemed to be an endorsement.”

From the changes in the heads of regular and administration police and director of criminal investigations to the clamp down of rebel MPs, President Kenyatta seems to have created a path he wants to use in his second term.

With everything held in its total-some, the resignation of Attorney General Githu Muigai early last week left the Judiciary as the last barbican before a complete take over.

Just three weeks ago, President Kenyatta left no vagueness in the way he will be handling dissents in the legislature after he ensured that rebel MPs elected to chair various parliamentary committees were dethroned.

A Jubilee Party MP who sought anonymity said at State House, the President ordered MPs from the four committees of Agriculture, Labour, Environment and Broadcasting to sign already prepared letter denouncing their elected chairs.

This effectively sealed the fate of Moiben MP Silas Tiren (Agriculture), Alfred Keter (Nandi Hills), James Gakuya (Broadcasting) and Kangogo Bowen (Marakwet East) as chairs in their committees.

In another meeting with the Jubilee MPs last week, President Kenyatta visibly angered by absence of more than 100 of the 170 party legislators, warned that his meetings with them were mandatory and not optional.

Yet Uhuru’s push for control of the government began in 2014 with the amendment of security laws.

While lobbying Jubilee MPs to pass the amendment to the laws, Uhuru said he was being blamed by the Opposition, the civil society and Kenyans for not doing enough to protect Kenyans and their property.

The amendment effectively gave him powers to appoint the Inspector General of Police and his two deputies, the NIS director and the Director of Criminal Investigations, effectively taking away their security of tenure and rendering the National Police Service Commission (NPSC) a toothless bulldog.

Last month, Uhuru applied the law in overhauling the top police command, saying he had consulted with NPSC and the IG to make the changes.

In the changes, only IG Joseph Boinnet survived the shocker, which saw his deputies Joel Kitili (Kenya Police), Samuel Arachi (Administration Police) and Ndegwa Muhoro (Directorate of Criminal Investigations) moved to the Public Service for redeployment. Former President Escort Commander Edward Njoroge Mbugua and Commandant of Kenya Police Training College Gabow Noor were picked as Boinnet’s new deputies.

But his lieutenants say Kenyans should not read much on the current changes. National Assembly Leader of Majority Aden Duale told Sunday Standard that on a personal level, Uhuru is a true nationalist mistaken by those opposed to him to be weak.

“Uhuru is a harmless leader who respects the rule of law and wants to rally the country to move together,” said Duale.

To achieve meaningful progress that will colour his legacy, the President must be firm and resolute, said Duale.

Dismas Mokua, a political risk analyst, said the there was nothing wrong with the President seeking control of the arms of government provided his moves are in the national and public interest.

“It is therefore the role of the watchdogs, including the Opposition, civil society and the media must to ensure that such moves do not serve the personal interests of the President,” said Mokua.

Sunday Standard has learnt that as he seeks to complete the rearrangement that will have the path towards his legacy paved, at State House, Uhuru has positioned Deputy Chief of Staff Njee Muturi to take over from Head of Public Service Joseph Kinyua, who is expected to leave in six months.

Apart from a few officers including those at the Presidential Strategic and Communications Unit (PSCU) and his Private Secretary Jomo Gecaga, many others have been reassigned.