For Uhuru, Covid-19 pandemic was blessing in political storm

 When the Covid-19 pandemic struck in March, it stopped several of President Kenyatta’s legacy projects in their tracks and loosened his political grip on the country.

Some 160 days later, however, the President seems to have regained control of the politics and development programmes across the country.

And with talk of a reshuffle once Cabinet returns from the current recess — changes that may further weed out ministers not in sync with the President’s vision — the coronavirus contagion could yet turn out to have been a blessing in a storm for Mr Kenyatta.

Since the virus struck, the Head of State has made major strides in taming the ambitious political march of Deputy President William Ruto.

This he has done by not only by tightening his grip on the workings of government, but also by launching new projects, a task DP Ruto had perfected, gaining much political mileage from it.

Like never before, the 2022 succession politics is now firmly in Mr Kenyatta’s grip. In the recent past. He has made the administrative state stronger, with a Cabinet committee headed by Interior CS Fred Matiang’i taking charge of government matters. The committee is loyal — almost to a fault — to the President.

Tightened grip

The Head of State has also tightened his grip on Parliament, which was hitherto firmly under his deputy, with the firing of Majority Leaders Aden Duale (Garissa Town MP) and Kipchumba Murkomen (Elgeyo-Marakwet senator).  Kipipiri MP Amos Kimunya, and West Pokot senator Samwel Poghisio, respectively, replaced them.

Belgut MP Nelson Koech, a vocal Ruto ally, admits that the DP’s side has been a victim of a president out to take political advantage of the pandemic.

Political rallies

“It’s an act of cowardice: Tell people not to hold political rallies, but then allow those that sing your tune to have a field day holding meetings and consultations. If there were rallies being held today, trust me, some of the things happening now would not be happening,” said Mr Koech.

He added that the advantage had also extended to tenderpreneurs, who are also making money from the virus.

University of Nairobi lecturer Herman Manyora believes that, politically, President Kenyatta has had relative ease executing his plan due to the virus restrictions.

That, he says “would have been harder otherwise. Like in dealing with his deputy and taming his troops in Parliament. ”

Prof Manyora explained: “These platforms — funerals, rallies, church functions and so on — are sometimes so powerful that the President has to change his mind.”

The purge on Ruto’s allies in Parliament saw to the ouster of Majority Whips Susan Kihika and Benjamin Washiali. Together with Mr Duale and Mr Murkomen, all of them members of Jubilee’s National Executive Council (NEC), their exit has weakened the DP’s clout in the powerful organ.

The appointment of Eldas MP Adan Keynan as the Secretary to the Parliamentary Group further shores up President Kenyatta’s numbers in the NEC.

Grassroots elections

At the time the virus struck in March, the Tangatanga camp was pushing for grassroots elections in the country’s largest party. 

Many of his allies saw this as an opportunity for the DP to further cement his then vice-like grip on Jubilee.

Two parliamentary group meetings, which were expected to give directions on the party elections, were postponed at the last minute. When they were finally held, there was nothing like party polls on the agenda. Instead, the meetings served, rather ironically, as a platform to throw Ruto allies out of parliamentary leadership.

“Ruto is aware that he has been short-changed. He is acutely aware and so are we [his supporters].

Signed pacts

“He’s not naïve. It’s only that he is a gentleman,” Uasin Gishu Woman Representative Gladys Boss Shollei said in a past interview.

Keen to further entrench his hold on the country’s politics, President Kenyatta’s ruling Jubilee Party has signed pacts with Baringo Senator Gideon Moi’s Kanu, former Vice-President Kalonzo Musyoka’s Wiper and former Bomet governor Isaac Ruto’s Chama Cha Mashinani — boosting his numbers in Parliament.

The next legacy project for President Kenyatta touches on national unity, specifically the March 2018 ‘handshake’ and the subsequent formation of the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI).

Pushing through the BBI resolutions seems to be the top agenda.

“Having removed all those who do not believe in the President’s vision, we will now have a conducive environment to deliver. Watch this space. This next two years will show you that Uhuru’s legacy cannot be under threat. It is even more enhanced,” Kieni MP Kanini Kega, who was recently elected chairman of the Budget and Appropriations Committee to replace Ruto ally Kimani Ichung’wah, said.

On the succession politics front, President Kenyatta’s Mt Kenya backyard is already discussing the instalment of a successor with his blessings, with former Gatanga MP Peter Kenneth being reportedly primed to take the spot.

Before the onset of the virus, the President was up against a wall of rebellion in the region, which his deputy had deeply penetrated. This led to the emergence of the Kieleweke camp, which was allied to the President and the Tangatanga wing, which pledged allegiance to the DP.

With a coalition government reportedly in the pipeline and given the widening rift between him and his deputy, it’s only a matter of time before President Kenyatta is faced with the decision on who between the DP and his “handshake” partner will walk the journey into his final two years of his term.

“President Kenyatta will have to choose whether he wants to continue holding the two tigers by the tail or release one and lean on the tiger that has been most resourceful and helpful to him,” political analyst Mark Bichachi argued.

Buoyed by the camaraderie between him and the ODM leader, President Kenyatta has pushed forth with the implementation of the Nairobi Metropolitan Services, whose functions look more like what the BBI team proposed in its November 2019 report: a county but with a special status and influence of the national government.

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