Kenyan coalition will not collapse, says Raila

Prime Minister Raila Odinga on Wednesday said he was confident that the main partners of the ruling coalition would find a way to end a rift over corruption allegations.

Speaking in Tokyo, Japan, where he is on a five-day visit, Mr Odinga said there was no danger of the coalition collapsing. “Sometimes disagreements and misunderstandings will arise between coalition partners. That does not mean that the coalition then collapses,’’ he said.

Find solutions

“There are ways ... to negotiate and to find solutions,” he continued. “This is one such case and I am confident that we will find a solution.”

A statement e-mailed to newsrooms by his communications chief Salim Lone, and attributed to ODM, emphasised that despite the dispute, the party remained committed to its role in the coalition, including conclusion of the constitution review and other phases of the reform programme.

It warned that “crucial Agenda 4 items could “not be addressed while there is such corruption”. The party asked that President Kibaki join Mr Odinga in the crusade against corruption by backing the suspension of Cabinet ministers William Ruto and Sam Ongeri.

But Mr Odinga’s confidence was not reflected at home as a Cabinet meeting scheduled for Thursday was cancelled and his PNU coalition partners vowed to take the feud against him to Parliament when it resumes next week. MPs allied to PNU on Wedneday resolved to trim Mr Odinga’s influence in Parliament by pushing for the appointment of Vice-President Kalonzo Musyoka as leader of Government Business.

The coalition’s Parliamentary Group meeting at KICC resolved to support Kigumo MP Jamleck Kamau’s motion seeking to amend the Standing Orders to provide that the President appoints the leader of Government Business and chairman of the House Business Committee.

The positions have been vacant following a stand-off between the coalition partners. Sources said the weekly Cabinet meetings during which important national matters are discussed and approved before being taken to Parliament may not be convened until the rift is resolved.

Senior government officials said the Cabinet meeting, chaired by President Kibaki, was cancelled on Monday, a day after Mr Odinga suspended Mr Ruto and Prof Ongeri.

President Kibaki reversed the suspensions hours later, throwing the country into political jitters that have battered the Kenyan shilling. The currency hit an eight-month low on Tuesday exchanging at nearly Sh78 to the dollar.

Head of Public Service Francis Muthaura, who is also the secretary to the Cabinet, wrote to ministers on Monday informing them of the cancellation of the meeting. It was feared that the heat between PNU and ODM could spill over to the meeting, whose agenda is crafted in advance.

ODM is furious that by the President reversed the suspensions of the ministers, indicating that Mr Odinga had no powers to take disciplinary action against the ministers he supervises.

In a letter to the chairman of the African Union Commission and copied to chief mediator Kofi Annan and President Kibaki, Mr Odinga said it was urgent to convene a meeting to resolve the dispute between the two parties before a “complete paralysis” hits the government.

The party has declared a crisis in the grand coalition and announced a boycott of Cabinet meetings until the differences are resolved. On Wednesday, sources said the President was waiting for Mr Odinga to return from Japan and explain whether he was the one who directed Lands minister James Orengo to announce the boycott.