Cabinet split over Mau tree-planting

The Executive divide will be evident on Friday as Prime Minister Raila Odinga launches the Mau Forest tree-planting drive without the President.

Several Cabinet ministers allied to President Kibaki’s PNU coalition and Agriculture minister William Ruto’s Rift Valley ODM bloc have planned to skip the event expected to show the Government’s commitment to reclaiming Kenya’s largest source of water.

This is despite the fact that a joint statement released by President Kibaki and Prime Minister Raila Odinga on Thursday said the coalition had agreed that the later will lead the tree planting.

The launch of the Mau re-afforestation programme has been steeped in controversy this week since it emerged that President Kibaki planned to skip the event while Mr Odinga insisted that it would go ahead.

Though Mr Odinga on Wednesday said that “the government will be there” at the tree-planting, the Nation has learnt that several Cabinet ministers could stay away from the event — a move that has sparked fresh tension between the PM’s office and State House.

It finally became clear that the President would not attend the function when the plaque bearing his name as the event commissioner was replaced.

Replaced plaque

Kenya Forestry Service personnel and members of the Kiptunga Community Forest Association who were busy making final preparations at the venue replaced the plaque with one bearing Mr Odinga’s names.

All ministers had been asked to attend the event in letters by Mr Odinga and Public Service Head Francis Muthaura, but several have pulled out citing other engagements since it became apparent that the President would not be attending.

Speculation was rife that the fate of retired president Moi’s Kiptagich tea factory and lobbying which has been going on to spare it could have contributed to the controversy.

But those close to President Kibaki cite lack of protocol in the way the function was organised as the main reason for the failure by some sections of the government to attend.

They sited public pronouncements by the PM and Forestry minister Noah Wekesa, committing the Head of State when no consultations had been made with State House as having contributed to the confusion.

Others said that the new rapport between Deputy PM Uhuru Kenyatta and Agriculture minister William Ruto who has opposed the evictions, has led to divisions in government over the function.

Mr Kenyatta was the guest of honour during a fundraiser organised by Mr Ruto and several Rift Valley MPs to help in those evicted from the water catchment area.

Mau is the largest indigenous forest in East Africa and Kenya’s most vital water tower, covering some 270,000 hectares. Among the rivers originating from the forest are Ewaso Ng’iro, Sondu, Mara and Njoro which feed several lakes in the Rift Valley and Western Kenya, among them Lakes Victoria, Nakuru and even Natron in Tanzania.

President Kibaki’s decision became clear when State House released a programme yesterday indicating he would be witnessing the swearing in of judges of the Interim Independent Constitutional Dispute Resolution Court at State House, Nairobi.

Mr Odinga has also launched a media campaign to publicise the event even after it became apparent that the President planned to give it a miss.

To stay away