Kibaki and Raila open door to coalition talks

• The PNU representative in the coalition secretariat, Kivutha Kibwana had contacted his ODM counterpart in the PM’s office, Mr Miguna Miguna, even though details about their discussions were not revealed.
• They are expected to agree on a draft agenda to be presented to the President and the PM before the second round of coalition talks.
• Kibaki said there was no crisis in the coalition, and described those alluding to frosty relations between him and the PM as people “expressing words of despair.”

Kenya President Mwai Kibaki seemed to extend an olive branch to Prime Minister Raila Odinga on Tuesday, raising hope that fractured relations within the Grand Coalition Government could soon be repaired.

When contacted through an aide, Mr Odinga did not immediately comment, but held a meeting of ODM ministers at his Treasury office.

“I want to assure you that for myself and Raila Odinga, we are working together. I am sure we will succeed. We shall not be set aside by anyone,” the President said at a church function in Nairobi.

He was responding to comments by the newly-installed Presbyterian Church of East Africa (PCEA) Moderator, the Rev David Gathanju, who asked him to comment on the public fall-out in the coalition, which has raised fears that the coalition government and the National Accord and Reconciliation process could collapse.

Some reaching out is happening in the background, the Nation has learnt. Former Cabinet minister Kivutha Kibwana, the PNU representative in the coalition secretariat, had contacted his ODM counterpart in the PM’s office, Mr Miguna Miguna, even though details about their discussions were not revealed.

Speaking for the first time since the Kilaguni Lodge meeting that strained his relations with Mr Odinga, the President said he and the PM were not estranged.

His statement did not appear to be an acknowledgement of a serious rift in the coalition that needed to be healed if the government was to function smoothly.

Mr Odinga has complained publicly that he was short-changed in the power-sharing agreement and has hit out directly at the President, describing his leadership style as “Jua Kali” (informal) and “primitive”.

PNU coalition leaders, including Vice-President Kalonzo Musyoka, deputy PM Uhuru Kenyatta, Cabinet ministers George Saitoti and Ali Chirau Mwakwere have accused Mr Odinga of disrespecting the President. Business in the coalition, they warned, would not be as usual.

Prof Kibwana’s contact with Mr Miguna was meant to explore the possibility of a meeting between the two leaders, aides in the PM’s office said. They declined to be named because they were not authorised to speak to the media on the issue.

Prof Kibwana and Mr Miguna are expected to agree on a draft agenda to be presented to the President and the PM before the second round of talks by members of the Permanent Committee on the Management of the Grand Coalition is arranged.

The committee’s talks at Kilaguni Lodge in Tsavo National Park collapsed two weeks ago after the two sides failed to agree on the agenda. Mr Odinga accused the President of making it impossible to effectively perform his duties of PM.

He also accused the President of making major policy pronouncements without consulting him and not informing him about visits by foreign dignitaries. Rapid creation of new districts was another point of concern for the PM.

“According to the Constitution, the President does not have powers to create districts. I have not been consulted. Some Kenyans have not even asked for them,” he had said.

“Where is the need for a boundary commission when somebody is creating the districts single-handedly? Why is the President usurping the powers of Parliament? There should be rule of law. The President is running the government in a Jua Kali and primitive way.”

Chief mediator Kofi Annan has called both the President and the PM over the fall-out.

Strong pledges were made by the PM and Mr Musyoka that the two principals would meet after the Easter break.

At the PCEA’s St Andrew’s Church Nairobi on Tuesday, Mr Kibaki said there was no crisis in the coalition, and described those alluding to frosty relations between him and the PM as people “expressing words of despair.”

The Rev Gathanju, who succeeds Dr David Githii famed for ridding the church of “satanic symbols”, drew the President’s attention to the challenges and difficulties the public was facing and warned that feelings of desperation were setting in among Kenyans.

The new moderator pointed out that the public was not sure of getting a new constitution given the hostility between ODM and PNU leaders; and that thousands of internally displaced people were still leading squalid lives in refugee camps.

The Rev Gathanju urged the President to make it possible for talks between the coalition partners to take place.

The Catholic and Anglican churches, Evangelicals and Muslims have made similar appeals to the President and the PM to restrain their troops from waging a fresh political war and give dialogue a chance.

Accompanied by Head of Civil Service Francis Muthaura, President Kibaki first read his written speech before going off the cuff to caution about leaders who have been preaching despair to the public.

“I am depressed when I hear people express words of despair and some of them are inside the church. They keep spreading despair. We pray that we do not have too many of those people.”

He described Kenya as a prosperous nation saying “it is doing well and will continue to do well.” “Let’s think of what we can do to help our neighbour and those in problems.”

He told the church: “It is not your role to discourage us. It is your basic role to pray for us so that we can make progress.”

In his written speech, Mr Kibaki had said he was aware that religious leaders had in recent times expressed concern over the various national challenges the country is facing.

However, he told the religious leaders that they must be “wary of negative propaganda that can easily create despondency among our people, thereby diverting their attention from their tasks of development and nation building.”

He assured them that the government would continue to listen to them, and was ready to act on constructive ideas and criticism.

President Kibaki had also asked leaders to stop engaging in sideshows, but to concentrate on major reforms the country requires.

He said public utterances some leaders were engaging in had confused the public and gave the impression of a crisis.

The church, the President added, should be at the forefront to entrench reforms that are necessary before general elections are held.