Riling from embarrassing defeat in three by elections within his Mount Kenya backyard coupled by outright betrayal by his deputy and his would be lieutenants led by National Assembly Speaker Justin Muturi, President Uhuru Kenyatta’s think tank is crafting a political masterstroke strategy to safeguard his legacy and succession, The Informer has learnt.
Top on the president’s agenda is to have the Big Four delivery pillars projects fast-tracked, unifying the country and create an impenetrable political firewall within the larger vote rich Mount Kenya region to forestall further disintegration.
Failure to successfully push the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) constitutional amendment brokered after the March 2018 handshake between him and opposition leader who also doubles as the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party boss Raila Odinga is widely interpreted as a clear manifestation of waning political influence and a lame duck president as his term enters homestretch.
The Court of Appeal declared the push illegal.
However, pundits close to powers that be intimated to The Informer that President Kenyatta will use his scorecard which his deputy has shrugged from as one of the scorecard to bring the region to order.
“The president has no interest to manage his succession but in it his legacy to leave a united country. He will not seek sway voters but he will be an elder whose political wisdom will be sought after to give a sense of political direction and one that cannot be wished away. ” Our source observed.
The Deputy President William Ruto allied United Democratic Alliance (UDA) party won the two parliamentary mini polls held within president’s Kiambu home county; Juja and Kiambaa and Rurii Ward mini polls in Nyandarua County
Ruto has been on record discrediting the BBI push pointing an accusing finger to the ODM leader of hijacking the Jubilee administration agenda from the Big Four to the flopped constitutional change push through BBI.
A looming cabinet reshuffle to force out disloyal Cabinet Secretaries and Principal Secretaries, shakeup within State House to sideline top government officials who have since shifted camps to that of Ruto and Muturi and overhaul of paratatals leadership and some of the strategies being laid forth.
“On the table is to have the One Kenya Alliance (OKA) team bringing together Wiper party leader Kalonzo Musyoka, Amani National Congress’s Musalia Mudavadi, Gideon Moi (Kanu) and Senator Moses Wetangula’s Ford Kenya close ranks with Raila to forge a working formula as one team. This is part of uniting the country and unifying Mt. Kenya will not be an exception.” A source privy with the goings on intimated.
Narc Kenya leader Martha Karua, The Service Party (TSP) counterpart Mwangi Kiunjuri and Chama Cha Kazi’s Moses Kuria have already formed a reconciliation Mt Kenya caucus to solidify region’s interests ahead of the General Election.
They have welcomed all Mt Kenya leaders and professionals to come on board on a bi-partisan approach.
Kinjuri and Kuria have dismissed Ruto’s call to have all parties dissolved and use UDA as one political vehicle insisting formation of political coalitions is inevitable.
Last week, President Kenyatta convened a meeting with Jubilee Party loyalists, from the Central Kenya to discuss the formation of an alliance towards strengthening the party ahead of the 2022 polls.
The ongoing revamping of the party, which has kick started in the region with reconstitution of party officials from Ward level. The process entails removing grassroots leaders who are allied to DP Ruto’s UDA party, and replacing them with party loyalists.
The President will also be engaging caucuses from all other parts of the country.
This process is hoped to culminate in a constitution of National Delegates Conference where major changes in the party leadership will be effected.
However, the party has power struggle to control grassroots structures ahead of next year’s elections igniting in fights among a section of MPs and top party officials.
Nine MPs announced overhaul exercise in the party to get rid of leaders they claim are responsible for the dwindling fortune of the outfit.
The group announced a cleanup of the Jubilee house right from the grassroots to the national office.
“Following the Kiambaa by-election, we took time to engage with our party members and supporters at the grassroots. We sought to understand their views and sentiments about the direction of the party,” Kiambu Town MP Jude Njomo said.
“We have resolved that the party is due for a leadership overhaul that will see fresh, vibrant, youthful and persuasive leadership driving our vigorous grassroots campaigns.”
But top party officials led by Secretary-General Raphael Tuju and vice-chairman David Murathe have opposed the scheme by the sitting MPs to run affairs of the party at the exclusion of their 2022 potential competitors.