Strategy: 'Green' brigade to rebrand its campaigns

By Martin Mutua and Beauttah Omanga

The ‘Green’ brigade flexed its muscle by congregating 130 MPs to hammer out an 11-point strategy and set out to shake all corners of Kenya in its campaigns.

Under the stewardship of President Kibaki and Prime Minister Raila Odinga, the Grand Coalition Parliamentary Group resolved to re-brand its campaigns as driven by the ‘truth’ and to market themselves as ‘peace-lovers’ and concentrate their campaigns on ‘very positive’ aspects of the draft laws.

The gathering also appeared set to tackle perceptions it is iron-fisted and riding on the back of State machinery by decreeing that their interaction with those with reservations on some aspects of the draft law will henceforth be based on ‘constructive engagement’.

This also sounded to be the Greens’ high command’s new strategy for dealing with claims by the ‘Reds’ that it is using State machinery to clamp down on those deemed to be against the Proposed Constitution.

In what could be an attempt to spruce up its image and make its product more saleable, like good marketers, the team also decided they would radiate the outlook of a united Grand Coalition Parliamentary Group.

In this spirit, they would also sell the Proposed Constitution as a product of Kenyans’ own quest, and part of the new deal to close the 20-year-old luckless chase for a fresh set of laws to govern them.

The ‘Green’ assembly also resolved all ‘Yes’ MPs commence grassroots campaigns in their constituencies when Parliament breaks up for recess this week.

This is seen as part of the meeting’s strategy to widen its reach, neutralise ‘No’s’ multiple campaigns, and help quell complaints by MPs they have been overshadowed and turned into cheerleaders at meetings convened by Kibaki and Raila.

The Party of National Unity and Orange Democratic Movement’s MPs meeting at Kenyatta International Conference Centre also agreed to resolved to split their campaign programme into three structural levels.

"We will be campaigning at three levels with one group working from the national level, another from county and the last at constituency," revealed a Minister who attended the meeting.

The ‘Yes’ team moved quickly to put its house in order, after it emerged there was disquiet in its camp because MPs had allegedly been reduced to cheerleaders by the two principals.

Some MPs were also accused of being ‘watermelons’ (a fruit that is green outside and red on the inside).

These fears culminated in leaders from Central Kenya holding an emergency meeting last week under the aegis of Gikuyu, Meru, Embu Association (Gema) to plan a united front in support of the draft.

The leaders also decided to portray the face of Kenya in their lobbying, by dividing themselves into sizeable groups with a nationwide outreach.

Sources told The Standard several MPs protested at the slow pace with which the ‘Green’ team was running its campaigns.

The members told the two principals they were concerned their opponents in the ‘No’ camp seemed to have outpaced them, and they were playing catch-up.

President Kibaki reassured the meeting that all was well in the ‘Yes’ camp and he would back the country’s quest for a new constitution.

Peaceful campaigns

The sources said the Head of State was angered by media reports there were divisions in the ‘Yes’ team, which he said, were not true.

"The President was categorical that reports appearing in the media of divisions in their camp was just a creation of the media," added the source.

PNU Chief Whip Johnstone Muthama said: "The meeting was called to ensure peaceful campaigns that would leave Kenyans united. We agreed on a strategy and we will move forward. We left the meeting united."

A major bone of contention at the meeting was also the lack of funds to run the campaigns and where the funds would come from.

The MPs are said to have suggested that each of the 210 constituencies be allocated at least Sh5 million to run the campaigns effectively.

But the sources said the President termed the suggestion "unrealistic" and turned down the request.

Kibaki told the MPs that though there was no money he all the same promised to make available some before Friday. It was not immediately clear where the kitty would be drawn from.

"We asked for at least Sh5 million per constituency but that we were told was too much. We were, however, promised some money to kick-start the campaigns by the weekend," said a source at the meeting.

By the close of the meeting the MPs failed to agree on the exact amount of funding to be allocated to each constituency or member.

A source from the ‘Yes’ Secretariat confided to The Standard that with the Proposed Constitution being a Government document, its campaigns would be funded by taxpayer money.

"It is not that the money is being stolen, this is Government project and as part of Agenda Four items, the same way other projects have been funded would be the same with the Proposed Constitution campaigns," added the source.

Raila and Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka are, however, on record saying though it is a ‘Government project’; public funds would not be funneled into its campaign. A fundraising for ‘Yes’ the other day raised only Sh6 million.

The MPs also failed to agree on the composition of the constituency campaign teams with each party demanding to be allowed to nominate an equal number.

"There was a proposal that the two coalition partners PNU and ODM, nominate 10 agents for each constituency but smaller parties in PNU opposed the idea throwing the issue into confusion," said the source.

The meeting is reported to have resolved to create 47 strong campaign teams for each county.

"We agreed that MPs from each county as proposed in the draft law meet urgently and appoint a team leader who will co-ordinate the campaigns," said a source.

The county campaign teams will then organise rallies the Big three — President, PM and VP — will attend. "We also resolved that once a county rally has been organised and approved by the national ‘Yes’ Secretariat, no more postponements will be entertained," added other sources.

The sources said the meeting resolved that the three top leaders must attend without failure, citing the recent Western Kenya tour that the President and VP skipped due to other commitments.

The sources said there MPs agreed to open up all regions for the three top leaders with some expressing concern that the Central Kenya leadership was not comfortable with the PM gracing the rallies, a concern that was dismissed.

And later while addressing journalists after the meeting, the President said the meeting had been convened to review the progress on the mobilisation of Kenyans to support the Proposed Constitution.

True contents

Kibaki, who read a statement and declined to take questions from journalists, said they agreed to embark on grassroots campaigns in every constituency when Parliament adjourns on Thursday.

The President noted that MPs were confident of a ‘Yes’ victory, adding that they would mobilise Kenyans to turn up in large numbers to vote for the document at the referendum.

He said the leadership of the ‘Yes’ campaign shall be divided into various groups in order to effectively targets all corners of the country.

"The ‘Yes’ campaign shall remain truthful to the contents of the Proposed Constitution and will not be dragged into campaigns that are not dwelling on the true contents of the constitution," added Kibaki.

The other resolutions the leaders reached were: Expanding ‘Yes’ campaign to incorporate civil society; peaceful campaigns that will bring Kenyans together; and marketing draft laws as a product of Kenyans and change they want.