President William Ruto (left) shakes hands with Raila Odinga during the launch of the ODM leader's bid for the African Union Commission chairmanship campaign on August 27, 2024 at State House, Nairobi.
President William Ruto's formation of an inclusive government, which integrates opposition politicians, is already encountering turbulence amid growing discomfort among some members.
In the wake of tensions between President Ruto’s and his deputy Rigathi Gachagua’s camps, the entry of ODM leader Raila Odinga's allies into the cabinet has only fueled the discontent.
Further, in Mr Odinga’s camp, there are also divisions over the move by some of their members to work with the government.
The high profile ODM leaders named in the broad-based cabinet are former deputy party leaders Hassan Joho and Wycliffe Oparanya, former ODM National Chairman John Mbadi and ex Secretary of Political Affairs Opiyo Wandayi, as well as former member of the party's elections board Ms Beatrice Askul.
A senior ODM official told Nation that the current scenario in the party is that of a divided house.
“What we have now is ODM in Government (ODM-IG) and ODM in Opposition (ODM-IO),” the senior official quipped.
But whereas the president’s side has welcomed Mr Odinga’s allies with an open arm, the DP’s camp appears rattled.
Even though Mr Gachagua insists that he is unmoved by the coming of opposition figures into the Kenya Kwanza cabinet, his allies see it as a move to edge him out.
"Hii serikali mimi ndio mwenyewe na niko ndani, hata kukija kabila gani, mimi ni chuma ya zamani niko ndani (This is my government and I am part of it, no matter what tribe joins it, I remain strong)," the DP said during a funeral in Trans Nzoia county last Friday.
But on Sunday, his ally, Embakasi Central MP Benjamin Gathiru alias Mejja Donk while using a marriage analogy said “it is not right to disrespect the first wife just because a second wife has been married.”
Mr Donk likened the DP to a first wife in a marriage, who was being disrespected and threatened with a divorce just because ODM, the second wife, had been brought on board.
“We agreed to the wedding but you married a second wife and we accepted it. After getting a second wife, we have agreed to continue with our life.
“But it should not be that we brought a second wife so that we send away our mother. We cannot bring a second wife so that we disrespect our mother. It cannot happen,” the MP said.
The DP had earlier felt that some ODM luminaries were undermining him after some of them joined the government by suggesting that they’d only work with president Ruto.
“The government works as a team and our captain is the president,” Mr Gachagua said during the recent thanks giving ceremony for Cabinet Secretary for National Treasury John Mbadi in response to Siaya Governor James Orengo.
Mr Orengo had advised Mr Mbadi to work with president Ruto to ensure he delivers on his mandate.
“Orengo is telling Mbadi to work with the president only. (If he does that) he will get lost and fail to succeed. Mbadi should work with everyone including principal and cabinet secretaries,” added the DP.
Major Donk also believes that the growing attacks against the DP by National Assembly Majority leader Kimani Ichung’wa had only been emboldened by the coming in of Mr Odinga’s allies into the government.
“Mr president you are the one who made Kimani Ichung’wa leader of government business. …but now your attack dog is on the loose and it should be tamed.
“I’m even feeling ashamed to stand as an MP that my leader of majority is insulting other senior leaders. If we cannot change how we operate, we will not hesitate to leave this government like we did previously,” the MP charged.
But Kapseret MP Oscar Sudi insists that the broad-based government was formed after the DP’s camp proved stubborn and begun undermining the president.
Sudi said president Ruto should continue to share his government by giving out the Principal Secretary (PS) positions to Mr Odinga’s camp and other Kenyans.
“The government is now broad. We have shared with ODM. Those who contributed to this kind of government are those inside it who expressed bad manners for huge desire for more positions and issued a lot of demands and threats.
“Let them now not complain because this country belongs to all of us and it’s time to ensure regional balance in all appointments including Principal Secretaries positions,” said Mr Sudi.
Attempts to further clip the DP’s political wings even further became more evident on Monday after at least 14 MPs from Mt Kenya East endorsed Interior Cabinet Secretary Prof Kithure Kindiki as their spokesman.
"As the legislators of Mt. Kenya East, and on behalf of our people, we have unanimously agreed that the link between us and the executive is Prof. Kithure Kindiki," they said in a statement read by Mbeere MP Geoffrey Ruku.
Mr Ichung’wa however, believes that Mr Gachagua was only fighting for his personal interests and not those of the people of Mt Kenya.
“His fights with all those he perceives to be close to the president from bloggers to other leaders is informed by their resistance to allow him to use the people as a bargaining chip to blackmail the President,” Mr Ichung’wa told Nation.
Away from the Ruto-Gachagua wars, Mr Odinga’s camp is also divided over whether to embrace the broad-based administration or not.
On Monday, some ODM legislators from Nairobi county snubbed a State House meeting with president Ruto despite being invited.
Nairobi County ODM Chairman – Makadara MP George Aladwa, the convener of the meeting was only accompanied by Dagoretti North MP Beatrice Elachi and Nairobi Woman Rep Esther Passaris.
Mr Odinga’s elder brother who is also the Siaya Senator Dr Oburu Oginga has however, declared that the ODM leader has since embraced president Ruto, adding that they will be ready to pay his 2007 political debt should he make his promises to them a reality.
“He received a welcome in the Luo nation more than any other time he has been around. This is because Raila has embraced him and I think it is not bad kurudisha mkono (pay a political debt),” Dr Oginga said.
He noted that president Ruto played a major role in 2007 in making Mr Odinga Prime Minister of Kenya.
“He did not just support him by word of mouth but mobilized people in the Rift Valley who voted for him man to man yet we did not give him much in the last election,” Dr Oginga said.
He went on: “…but we are telling you Mr president that as things move, let us continue to talk and negotiate and let our people feel the government, let them feel they are also part of the government.
“We have given you our cream of the party. We have given you our two deputy party leaders (Hassan Joho and Wycliffe Oparanya), we have given you John Mbadi who was our chairman, as well as Opiyo Wandayi who was minority leader in parliament, that’s the top most cream from our party and we want them to work for Kenyans.”
