Kibaki tour of Nyanza shakes political arena

By John Oywa and Kepher Otieno

President Kibaki’s whirlwind tour of Nyanza at the weekend has sent politicians guessing over its implications in national politics.

Besides being seen as an attempt to exorcise the 2007 election ghosts that deeply divided the country, Kibaki’s tour could have far reaching ramifications in the future performance of the coalition Government.

Even before the tour was concluded, jitters were felt as Deputy Prime Minister Uhuru Kenyatta, who was away in the US sent faxes to newsrooms opposing Prime Minister Raila Odinga on his Mau Forest Complex statement.

Elsewhere, the first coalition Cabinet casualty Martha Karua lauded the newfound relationship between the two leaders. Karua bolted out of Government three months ago citing frustration by top Kibaki administration officials.

Agriculture Minister William Ruto went round the Mau saying he would sever links with Raila should the Government fail to compensate the Mau Forest complex settlers.

On Monday, Vice-President Kalonzo Musyoka joined the campaign calling for full compensation of settlers relocated from Mau Forest.

Politicians on both sides of the coalition must be headed back to the drawing board after Kibaki made it clear he and Raila — his bitter political foe in the 2007 presidential election — had buried the hatchet and were now friends again.

By spending three days in an area earlier regarded as hostile to him, having lunch at Raila’s rural home and paying homage to the home of Raila’s father, the late Jaramogi Oginga Odinga, President Kibaki sent a clear message to the country that he was out to reconcile not only with Raila, but also the Luo community, which had accused him of robbing their son of the election victory.

And it was his remarks at Ahero on the relationship between the Luo and the Kikuyu that spoke volumes.

"Each time we work together, Kenya does well. When our communities fall out, Kenya suffers," Kibaki said.

New unity

Observers say with their new relationship, Kibaki and Raila have sent a message to Cabinet ministers from both sides who have been causing trouble in the coalition that their days could be numbered.

The new unity between the two principals comes at a time the country is facing troubled times over how to handle the post-election violence suspects and the Mau Forest saga, and observers say Kenyans should expect a Cabinet reshuffle soon.

The meeting also came at a crucial time when the 40 ministers failed to agree on how to try suspects of post-election violence after two Cabinet meetings did not reach consensus.

The Cabinet reconvenes on Thursday and it remains to be seen what it will settle on. The Government requires at least 145 MPs (a two-thirds majority) to amend the Constitution and entrench the Special Tribunal into law.

Kibaki and Raila are for a Special Tribunal, but their troops have been pulling in different directions prompting analysts to challenge the principals to crack the whip.

"The new development is a big blow to ministers and MPs who have been using the suspicion and division in the Government to achieve their selfish ends. They will find it difficult to preach hatred when Kibaki and Raila are working as a team," said an ODM MP who did not want to be named.

He added: "In fact, we have heard whispers that the two leaders may soon crack the whip on rebel ministers to enable them start on a clean sheet."

Ministers from the PNU side, who included George Saitoti, Beth Mugo, Kiraitu Murungi, Moses Wetangula, John Munyes, Sam Ongeri, Mohammed Kuti, Naomi Shaban and Samwel Poghisio accompanied Kibaki on his Nyanza tour.

The tour that started on Friday saw President Kibaki and Raila launch and commission various projects in the province.

At Kendu Bay, the President scored marks from the local community when he announced that the disputed Migingo Island was in Kenya. This appears to have won him goodwill from the ODM supporters who received him well on his second and third days of the visit.

Although the President did not respond to requests by the Luo council of elders that he supports Raila as his successor when he retires in 2012, there were indications the new relationship between the two may have gone deeper than is believed.

The elders had told the President during a meeting at State Lodge in Kisumu the Luos have over the years supported the "House of Mumbi" (Kikuyus) for the country’s top leadership and that it was time Kibaki threw his weight behind Raila.

They reminded Kibaki it was Raila’s "Kibaki Tosha" campaign that catapulted him to power in 2002.

Grand march

Lands minister James Orengo says the new friendship between the two was just a tip of the iceberg. He said the new found friendship was a "grand march" to bigger things and asked Kenyans to support it.

Mr Orengo, a close ally of Raila, also unveiled a new slogan — Pamoja — to help market the new alliance to Kenyans and told the two leaders to ensure the friendship did not break up this time round.

On Saturday, Orengo did not explain where the grand march was headed to, but left no doubt in the minds of people the two leaders were propping their communities for a new political alliance.

He told Kibaki and Raila not to allow their associates to interfere with the friendship.

"I have been dying to tell them this. Please do not allow your friends to come between you this time round. Even I will not do it," he said.

Orengo said the new alliance could be the beginning of better things to come.

"I am seeing something in the horizon and I hope you are also seeing it. Something is cooking and things will improve if Kibaki and Raila sustain their unity," Orengo said.

Raila hinted that something was in the offing and told Kenyans to take the new alliance seriously.

Orengo’s claim that some people were not happy with the friendship between the two principals was later corroborated by reports that some people in the PNU were bitterly opposed to Kibaki’s lunch date at Raila’s home.

An ODM MP who was involved in Kibaki’s tour preparation said some PNU MPs wanted Kibaki to have lunch at the Kisumu Airport instead.

"Raila was almost giving up on the lunch date when Kibaki called him to say he would have no problem eating fish at his Opoda home. The same people who tried to stop Kibaki from eating at Raila’s home are the ones opposed to this new friendship," said the MP.

More than 40 MPs, most of them from PNU, accompanied Kibaki during the tour. But ODM MPs from Rift Valley were notably absent.

Mutual understandings

Apart from Roads minister Franklin Bett and Energy Assistant Minister Charles Keter who were present on the first day, the legislators were largely absent on Saturday and Sunday.

But so happy was the President with the success of the tour that he promised to return "very soon".

On Monday., Nyanza leaders said Kibaki’s visit was important and opened a new chapter in "brotherly" relations between the two communities that have been perennial political rivals.

"We had very good talks that were friendly and brotherly. We have mutual understandings and views in all fields and both sides plan to improve relations as much as possible," said Immigration Minister Otieno Kajwang’.

Nyatike MP Edick Anyanga and his Ndhiwa counterpart Orwa Ojode said the visit had opened a new chapter in Kenyan politics.

Embakasi MP Ferdinand Waititu said the visit and close unity expressed by President Kibaki sent strong signals to the likely change in Parliament’s business.

"This visit will change the mood of Parliament. In fact, I am personally very happy," he said.