Uhuru, Ruto rift could still have happened without the handshake, says Charles Keter

When President Uhuru Kenyatta reorganised the Cabinet four months ago, Charles Keter then-Energy secretary, was redeployed in a stripped-down Ministry of Devolution with just a single state department. Knowing that he is a close friend to Deputy President William Ruto, many saw him as a victim of the rift between President Kenyatta and his deputy. The man, who until Tuesday was a Cabinet Secretary, talked to WALTER MENYA on Uhuru-Ruto falling-out, the situation in the Cabinet, his demotion and Kericho plans.

You were plucked from the Senate where you had a political platform as the representative of Kericho County, to join the Cabinet. Looking back, how would you describe that move? Is it one you would make again if a similar opportunity presented itself?

At that time, I had served in the Senate for about three years. It was an opportunity. I was not going to an area I was new to. I had been an assistant minister for Energy and Petroleum before. I was given that assignment by the President; you know you cannot turn down some appointments by the President. He asked me if I was okay taking up the position and I told him I had to consult my people first. And it is after that that I took up the challenge. I was taking a risk. People were asking me why I was taking up a seat from which I could be sacked the next day, yet I had a full-term guarantee in my Senate job. It was not easy making that choice but I do not regret it. I am proud of what I have achieved and it was also good for exposure; the ministry has given me a lot of exposure.

You have said many times that DP William Ruto is your friend. If he were to be successful in his presidential bid, what kind of president would he be? What do you see as his strengths and weaknesses?

The DP is a hands-on person. He would make a very good president. He understands the country well. He is not young; he has been in this game for long. He has gone through the system from an MP to his current position of Deputy President. With this experience, I believe he can make a very good president.

You also know Raila Odinga since you worked with him in ODM. What kind of president would he be?

I have no problem with him. He was our candidate in 2007. He has tried several times; I think five times. He is a worthy competitor to William Samoei Ruto.

Along that line, what are your thoughts of Gideon Moi and the impact he might have on Rift Valley politics?

Gideon is my friend, it is obvious. But when it comes to politics, I do not know his plans. He has not announced that he is running for the presidency.

Is he a factor in Rift Valley?

I think William is much ahead.

Until you resigned this week, what have been the dynamics in the Cabinet given that the President and the Deputy President have not been seeing eye to eye?

Things have been normal. I have been working very well with my colleagues and with the President. I worked with him until the day I got out. I have been communicating with some of my friends back there to date. I have had a cordial relationship with my colleagues because we believe in professionalism, despite all these things. Everybody has a friend, but at the end of the day, we have a boss for whom we all work.

So the rift between the President and the DP did not manifest itself in the Cabinet?

It did not.

What are your views on the breakdown in their relationship?

It is quite unfortunate that had to happen knowing where they have come from, but I am optimistic that it is not yet too late. They have been friends since the 2000s. They have come a long way. The friendship of Uhuru and William outlives that of William and Raila. With Raila, it was only for some few years from 2007 to around 2010 during the referendum. But William and Uhuru have come a long way.

What do you think would have caused the rift?

I think the reason is best known to them. I have asked them, but both have said there is nothing.

Has the handshake been a factor in that breakdown?

When the handshake happened, the relationship deteriorated and that is why it has been attributed to the handshake. Otherwise, if there was no handshake, maybe it could have happened still, but maybe not of this magnitude. You know when things happen, you try to see what has changed in the environment. But I really do not know. Neither the President nor the DP has said it is because of the handshake.

There was a time when some church leaders proposed to bring them back together, but it did not go far from the look of things.

Do you see the two reconciling?

In politics, anything can happen. Never rule out anything. There are no permanent friends or enemies in politics, only interests. You never know. That is why I said a day in politics makes a difference. Something can happen and all of us would be surprised. Nothing is ever cast in stone in politics.

During the ICC trials, you would be the only one staying with the DP all through the time he would be in The Hague. In what ways do you think the ICC changed him, if any?

I think the ICC…was a torture. Nobody wants to go through that experience. When you hear the accusations, it was like watching a movie. The things that were being mentioned, it is not something I would want anybody to go through. The President and the DP also said that no Kenyan should ever be taken to the ICC. They heard the allegations; they were not factual. Out of that, the DP’s position has been constant: we do a peaceful campaign. We can disagree on ideas but never fight again. That is the message the President has also given. We want to do a peaceful election. May the best candidate win.

The ICC is back again with the trial of lawyer Paul Gicheru from next week and even though the DP is not the one in the dock, his name will be mentioned. What are your thoughts on the Gicheru surrender and the trial?

I do not think the DP has anything to do with that. That is somebody else’s trial. He turned himself in. He was never handed there by the Kenyan government. I do not want to pre-empt. We will wait and see, but I do not think that makes the DP worry. He is much at peace. When you know that in the first case you were innocent, that clears your conscience.

You have been an MP, assistant minister, and Cabinet Secretary; what new things are you preparing for the people of Kericho that you could not do in your former public positions?

I have been an MP in Kericho. Beyond my constituency, I have been a senator. I know its three sub-counties very well. I feel with my experience, there are a lot of things I will unleash as I hit the ground. Kericho has other tribes; it is cosmopolitan. Part of the land is arable, another is not. The topography of Kericho is not even. My plans are ranging from infrastructural points to growing businesses. I mean, there are a lot of things. Right now, manufacturing is coming up in lower Kericho, the parts bordering Awasi (Kisumu County). There are so many things we will do—cultural, sporting activities. But agriculture is the economic mainstay of the county and we need to grow that sector. Kericho town is a beautiful urban area, but we need to improve it and restore its past glory.

Some aspirants in the Kericho gubernatorial race have voiced concerns that you are entering the fray as the favoured one. Are you?

You see, these people have been campaigning. I did not know I was going to get back to it, but when I made a decision, I was not asked by anybody to go and campaign. Many people asked me why I could not stay and campaign for the DP or somebody else, but I said I also needed an opportunity to go and change my county with my experience. I am not someone’s favourite, they are the favourites. They have been on the ground running campaigns; I have not even started.

What of the claim that the DP prefers you to them?

The DP has been my friend, and for a long time. We didn't start our friendship the other day. From 2002, we have been in politics together. I have campaigned. I was among those who took him to Eldama Ravine to declare his interest in the presidency in 2006. I supported him in 2007 when we went to ODM. We went to The Hague. I stayed there for one month as a friend to give him moral support. But that doesn’t mean the DP supports me. He has never come out and said he supports Charles. People should not panic. What we want is a level playground. I believe in fair competition, as any candidate is a worthy competitor. I do not underrate them and I am preparing to start my campaigns.

What are your thoughts on tea reforms, given that Kericho is a tea-growing area?

We will analyse the situation as it is. The tea reforms, I think, are still in the implementation period. If you look at the prices of tea now, it is above two dollars, which is not bad. If we want to continue like that, then we need diversification. We cannot be doing black tea. The markets have changed, the purple and green tea is around. We need to diversify. The traditional tea we have been having is the black tea, but now you go to any household and you will be asked: Which tea do you want? Do you need green tea or what? People are diversifying to attract markets.

The incumbent Kericho governor has had a lawsuit against tea multinationals. Is this something you would want to continue if elected governor?

I do not want to comment on that because I do not know if the lawsuit is filed, and at what level it is. I can be commenting on things that are not there. I will wait and see. If I make it to be governor, these are the things I will look at and we will make a decision if that is what we really want or not, instead of spending money. We will cross the bridge when we get there. Then, you can come and ask me.

Tomorrow in the Sunday Nation: How Keter and other Kenyan ministers were stuck in an airport in Tanzania and passports taken at the height of a vicious Kenya-Tanzania row that sucked in Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, Kenya power crisis, corruption and wars in government.