Raila’s Warning

by Alex Ndegwa

President Kibaki and Prime Minister Raila Odinga have warned ministers they risk unspecified punishment if they do not cease squabbling.

Kibaki and Raila reprimanded recalcitrant officials and cautioned he and the President would not tolerate dissent. They were addressing ministers, assistant ministers and permanent secretaries attending a retreat in Mombasa to tame discord in Government.

Some ministers and particularly Regional Development Authorities Minister, Fred Gumo, reportedly asked the President and Prime Minister to sack defiant ministers who he claimed were intent on destabilising the Government. The PM started the dressing down, saying the war of words between ministers and assistant ministers is counter-productive.

"We are yet to see a seamless working relationship among ministers, their assistants and permanent secretaries. In a number of ministries, ministers still refuse to delegate duties to their assistants and permanent secretaries still refuse to defer to their ministers. This cannot continue," Raila said, as assistant ministers cheered.

"We need to embark on a deliberate policy that will see ministers involve their assistants in the running of ministries. Permanent Secretaries also have to accept that the ministers are the public faces and political heads of the ministries."

Power struggle

The warnings came in the wake of various spats among ministers, assistant ministers and PSs. In one such case, Sports Minister Hellen Sambili has been embroiled in a war of words with her assistants Wavinya Ndeti and Kabando wa Kabando particularly over the appointment of Umuro Wario to head the Youth Enterprise Fund. The three were present at the function, on Friday.

President Kibaki and Prime Minister Raila at the Cabinet retreat in Mombasa on Friday. Photo: Maarufu Mohamed/Standard

The PM then turned the heat on Cabinet ministers who defied the principle of collective responsibility, including support for reform and other Government initiatives.

"We have seen Cabinet ministers and their assistants criticise the Government they serve in, and even criticise decisions they participated in making. It cannot continue," he said.

Citing the Mau saga, the PM added: "For instance, when the Government says people have to be relocated from Mau forest you see a minister go to Mau to chest-thump about my people (sic) … Why does that minister think they are his people more than they are the Government’s?"

Fielding questions from reporters later, Agriculture Minister William Ruto said: "Everyone is entitled to his own opinion. We should not engage in blame games. But we will resolve those matters in there."

The PM also put on notice poor performers, saying he will soon release a report detailing performance by ministries. He observed the audit had revealed some ministries had not even developed a single Cabinet memo. "If you haven’t developed one, one wonders what you are implementing."

Freedom of expression

"We are moving into the mid-term of our tenure as we begin the third year of the Grand Coalition Government. Kenyans want results. They want it now, and they can’t wait," Raila told ministers.

President Kibaki said even though ministers and assistant ministers have the constitutional right to express personal opinion, they are bound by the principle of collective responsibility. "We must speak in one voice on issues over which the Government has taken a position," said the President.

The Head of State observed the Grand Coalition Government brings together parties that sometimes hold different views, which he termed healthy and democratic.

"However on matters of national interest, we have always come up with a Government position. If we are to move forward as a united country, the Government position should be seen as a superior and overriding individual views and party positions," said Kibaki.

"Similarly, as elected leaders we are all participants in the competitive and elective political process. As we engage in this process, some of us may lose sight of what is of common interest to us, as a Government. There is the temptation of withdrawing to sections of the Kenya population where we think we may gain maximum support. Viewing our competitive politics from a narrow and parochial standpoint is as retrogressive as it is an impediment to nation building," Kibaki said.

Attorney-General Amos Wako (left) and Head of Public Service Francis Muthaura at the Cabinet retreat in Mombasa on Friday. Photo: Maarufu Mohamed/Standard

Earlier, as a pointer to the wrangling bedeviling Government, assistant ministers demanded the programme be reviewed to allow them time to speak in the presence of the President and Prime Minister.

Defence Assistant Minister David Musila made the request, which he said was agreed upon by the assistant ministers at a meeting the previous night. Raila agreed. But Medical Services Minister Anyang’ Nyong’o’s similar appeal on behalf of ministers was rejected. The Prime Minister said ministers could raise such issues in Cabinet meetings.

Row over mandate

And the night before the President opened the retreat the PNU technical team led by Deputy Prime Minister Uhuru Kenyatta was in disarray after they disagreed with President Kibaki’s advisor on constitutional matters Kivutha Kibwana after he reportedly declined to sign a draft agreement on the kind of system the country should adopt.

A source at the Thursday night meeting said Kibwana refused to sign the draft until, after consulting the President. Kibwana’s move is said to have taken aback his team members, including Uhuru, Cabinet ministers Mutula Kilonzo, Moses Wetangula, and Beth Mugo.

"There were bitter exchanges among PNU members," said source who sought anonymity. The Standard on Saturday was reliably informed before Prof Kibwana’s protestation, ODM and PNU had agreed on a hybrid system where the President is the Head of State while Prime Minister is the Head of Government.

They also agreed that the President be elected through the popular vote, garnering more than half of the votes cast, and at least 25 per cent or more in over half of the regions. The PM will be picked from the parliamentary party with the highest number of seats and will chair Cabinet meetings. The president remains the commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces and will have the power to appoint constitutional office holders.