I am in the Jubilee government to stay, declares embattled Ngilu

Suspended Lands Cabinet Secretary Charity Ngilu has told her critics that she is in Government to stay and will not be intimidated or pushed out. Ngilu said she will bounce back to the Cabinet and continue with Jubilee’s transformative agenda.

Ngilu is out in the cold after being named in President Uhuru Kenyatta’s “list of shame”. She has since been charged in court with blocking investigations into alleged fraud in her ministry.

In the two instances she has appeared in court, she has created the impression that she is headed to the opposition. However, during yesterday’s interview with The Standard on Sunday, she gave every indication that she was not about to bolt out of Government.

“Please, take it from me. I am in Government. I am a life member of this Government. I am a founder member of Jubilee Government and we have a serious agenda on the table,” she said. She steered clear of the court charges against her, instead feigning ignorance over attempts to hound her out of Government: “By who? I am in Government. I have told you I am a founder member of this Jubilee Government. And I am committed to ensure the pledges we made to our people are fulfilled. That is what is bothering me now,” she said.

Ngilu negotiated her way into Jubilee through her NARC party. On December 4, 2012, she appeared at the CORD unveiling ceremony in KICC but backed off the same day in unexplained circumstances. She joined Jubilee in a pre-election coalition arrangement which also brought together Najib Balala’s Republican Congress party, William Ruto’s URP and President Uhuru Kenyatta’s TNA. The four appeared in Jubilee campaign posters under the banner “digital team”.

“I remain committed to the team. I am supporting the President fully and whatever actions he is taking to enable us honour the pledges we made to the people. I am steadfast in my resolve,” she said. On claims that she is eying the Kitui gubernatorial seat currently occupied by Dr Julius Malombe (Wiper), Ngilu equally feigned ignorance: “I am not aware. I have not heard of it. I am afraid we may be crossing the bridge too early,” she said, adding: “I have placed my heart at the service of the people, my whole life. I have special concern for the poor and the underprivileged. That is where my heart is,” she said.

She said even as Kenyans speculate about her political future, she remains focused on the greater good – improving the lives of Kenyans. She said Narc, the party that sponsored her into Jubilee, remains a strong party in its own right.

The party boasts several MPs, a Senator and several MCAs. Ngilu failed in her bid to become the Kitui Senator in the 2013 elections. “I believe I will be back in Government so that we can continue this journey of serving Kenyans. We must get these things right otherwise when we go wrong the electorate will punish us,” she said.

Ngilu has survived all odds in Kenyan political terrain from the moment she was elected Kitui Central MP in 1992 on a DP ticket. She became the first woman presidential candidate in the 1997 general election, riding on the “masaa ni ya Ngilu” wave under the Social Democratic Party. In 2002, she teamed up with former President Mwai Kibaki and former Vice President Wamalwa Kijana to form the National Alliance of Kenya (NAK), which later transformed into NARC when Kanu renegades led by Raila Odinga and Kalonzo Musyoka joined in.

Narc formed the Government and she became a cabinet minister in Kibaki’s Government. In 2007 she joined Raila’s ODM after procrastinating for a while. She became a minister in the grand coalition Government and served until the 2013 General Election.

But one of her aides said: “She is not quite enthusiastic about what is happening. She wants to know exactly where the battle against her is coming from and whether it is serious. There have been too many mixed signals on this matter.”

Hassan Omar Hassan, the Secretary General of Wiper Democratic Movement and formerly a member of the Charity Ngilu Network (CNN) says Ngilu is more of a guest tolerated in Jubilee than accommodated.

Omar’s party has been wooing Ngilu and its party leader Kalonzo Musyoka was present in the courtroom when Ngilu was charged. They hugged and exchanged pleasantries. Earlier in the week, she defended Musyoka over alleged land grabbing in Yatta.

“She is more in Jubilee on convenience grounds than on ideological basis. Her ideological home is CORD and everyone knows it. It was always a question of when,” Omar said.

He painted the picture of a courageous politician in Ngilu, one who will not wish away attempts to undermine her. One who cannot be pushed against the wall and keep quiet about it.