More anxiety as famous Uhuru-Raila handshake now in limbo

A month after President Uhuru Kenyatta and Opposition leader Raila Odinga united after the now famous handshake, there is political grumbling over stalling of programmes promised by the two leaders.

The disquiet and uncertainty is evidenced by the tone of political statements that point to a restless populace unsure of what will follow the March 9 handshake.

There is some optimism though exuded by lawyer Paul Mwangi and Ambassador Martin Kimani who were tasked by Uhuru and Raila to jointly oversee the bid to unite and heal Kenyans. Yesterday, the duo told the Saturday Standard they will soon issue a statement.

“We have covered a lot of ground and the President and Raila will soon give a statement on the way forward. Much has been achieved,” said Mwangi.

State House Spokesman Manoah Esipisu said the delay to announce the next course of action was because those mandated to work on the initiative were dealing with complex issues that need time.

“They have complex matters to deal with and are under heavy pressure, they should be allowed time to do a good job,“ said Esipisu.

But the anxiety reigns on both political divides. It was aptly captured on Thursday in a letter to newsrooms by Busia Senator Amos Wako who warned that the country risked going back to the entrenched political positions if President Kenyatta and Raila did not shepherd the expectations.

Wako said there should be focus on constructive dialogue on the important issues identified in the deal and he called on Uhuru and Raila to provide leadership.

A Raila close ally, who sought anonymity, said these developments have put the ODM leader at crossroads with some hardliners within his party and the National Super Alliance (NASA) piling pressure on him to abandon the unity deal.

“He’s in a catch 22 situation. The recent explosive letter to Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i and the remarks by Siaya Senator James Orengo says it all. The prospects of being a statesman and playing pivotal role in local and international politics is also alluring,” said the MP.

Early in the week, Raila accused Matiang’i of using words that should not be on the lips of a State officer to attack particular judges whose recent decisions he disagreed with and their alleged unholy alliances.

“It is unethical and irresponsible for a Cabinet Secretary to publicly denigrate another arm of the government and to refer to judges as ‘evil’. It is irresponsible to castigate one’s predecessors in office particularly when they are dead and not there to defend themselves,” he said.

This surprised many who believed that the ODM leader would have easily raised the issue with President Kenyatta instead.

Another political black spot was the government’s mistreatment of opposition activist Miguna Miguna despite efforts by Raila, who drove to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA), to sort out the matter. Miguna is in trouble for the role he played in swearing in Raila as people’s president on January 30.

The Jubilee government’s firm position could have jolted the response by opposition leaders, who believed that Raila’s presence at the JKIA was enough to secure his ‘general’s’ release.

But National Assembly Majority Leader Aden Duale said there was some murmurs emanating from the opposition, which were “not well organised in the current political formation”.

“We in Jubilee take instructions from President Kenyatta and are wholeheartedly in support of his initiative to get there with his friend Raila. Any decision made by Uhuru is binding to us and we are loyal to him,” said Duale.

Duale said the confusion and disgruntlement shows the opposition is not loyal to its leader.

“It is Raila’s backyard that is not disciplined in this case because they want to do many interpretations on the matter. They don’t want to obey his instructions,” he said.

According to the Raila’s ally, the group of hardliners in ODM are actively undermining the handshake and pushing for Raila to move out.

“They are upset at losing influence, Raila is no longer consulting them. They have more to gain if the handshake agreement fails and are now openly campaigning for its suspension or termination,” said the MP.

Yesterday, a day after Wako issued his caution, two ODM MPs accused some Jubilee Party and opposition leaders of undermining the Uhuru-Raila truce.

Without mentioning names, Gideon Ochanda (Bondo) and Otiende Amollo (Rarieda) said some politicians from the two divides are using the agreement to advance their 2022 political ambitions.

Speaking at Ramba Boys High School in his constituency, where he launched an ultra-modern ICT hub, Amollo said those trying to undermine the agreement should shelve their political ambitions for the sake of peace and reconciliation.

Speaking separately, Kisumu Catholic Archbishop Zacchaeus Okoth and Anglican Church of Kenya Bondo Diocese Bishop David Kodia asked leaders to stop reckless talks that would raise political temperatures.

They said this would revive ethnic tensions that may jeopardize Uhuru and Raila unity bid.