The back and forth disagreement between the ruling party Jubilee and the opposition Nasa has pushed President Kenyatta in a tough corner, especially after he severed links with his Deputy, William Ruto.
Political analysts have cautioned the President against any fall out with opposition chief, Raila Odinga. Analysts believe the fallout will sink the President’s political career but also recurrent Ruto’s career.
Minority leader in the Parliament John Mbadi rejected the list of committee members presented by Majority Leader, Amos Kimunya. ODM urged that the proposal did not take into account the envisioned reform agenda.
Jubilee Vice-Chair David Murathe stoked the political fires when he dismissed ODM’s friction, telling them to either take accept the list or they ship off.
According to Murathe, a key figure in the Jubilee administration, the ruling party was doing ODM a favor by allowing the Minority to chair committees outside the oversight ones.
After a meeting between the two sides, they agreed the Minority will chair Education, Finance, and Broadcasting as well as the Public Investments Committee, Public Accounts Committee, and the Committee on Implementation.
Analysts say the President is safer with either Raila or Ruto on his side, but fighting both at once might be a wrong move he would live to regret.
Instead, experts warn President Uhuru against any attempt to push Raila and Ruto together on one side but should guard against making powerful enemies in the last lap of his term.
“While Ruto and Raila cannot be compared in terms of their political significance, Uhuru Kenyatta should be very careful not to make too many enemies, especially ones who are big and influential and at the center of politics right now,” Bigambo, a governance expert said.
“They are going to have huge implications, even in terms of implementing projects he still wants to implement within the life of his presidency,” he added.
“If it’s a question of legacy issues, or rather the succession issues, he should not want to have Raila Odinga far off as an enemy, in the same way now that Ruto is an enemy in the Kenyatta succession politics,” the analyst said.
Bigambo added that President Kenyatta is safer with Raila’s support both inside and outside Parliament.
According to the governance expert, the President should demonstrate national unity by how he shepherds his fort soldiers in Parliament, especially his side, so his goodwill can be seen from near and far.
The expert warned that it should not be assumed that there could be a hidden agenda in how he is associating with political brother Raila Odinga.
However, according to Political analyst Danstan Omari, the political landscape will change drastically in the year and the President’s use-and-dump behavior will come to light to a palace coup that will, in turn, change the county’s political history,
“At this time, if Raila pulls out — and he will pull out — the tenure of Uhuru comes to an end. William Ruto has bolted, (Musalia) Mudavadi has bolted. The people who are being brought on board— Gideon Moi and Isaac Rutto — bring no tangible benefit.
“What is the scenario when that happens? He will not get support from (Yoweri) Museveni, he will not get support from (Pombe) Magufuli, he will need support from within. It will likely be a political palace coup and Uhuru will find that he has nowhere to clutch.”
Analyst Joseph Mutua has a contrary opinion, terming the debate on the possibility of President Uhuru opening two battlefronts as a creation of the media
According to Mutua, Uhuru can never make cush a move, saying it would be the greatest political mistake in his career as President.
“Uhuru and Raila are still cordial and I don’t think their relationship has been disrupted by anything. Issues in Parliament cannot threaten the relationship between the two,” Mutua said.
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Mutua added that the severed relationship between Uhuru and Ruto appears to have already been decided and that would be demonstrated by the absence of the Deputy President from some Key Party and government functions.
Raila and President Uhuru have been working together since the historic March 9, 2018 handshake that ended political tension in the country.
The handshake has been premised on the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) which is viewed as the right prescription of many historical injustices that have seen Kenyans turn against one another after every general election.
