He was a close adviser of Kibaki

With the exit of John Michuki, President Kibaki has lost one of his close advisers.

The other person who is likely to miss Michuki most is Deputy Prime Minister Uhuru Kenyatta.

Michuki came out strongly to say that Mr Kenyatta has inherited the Kikuyu leadership and anybody who wants their vote must pass through the Deputy Prime Minister.

President Kibaki will miss Michuki’s forthrightness and clarity of vision.

The Minister for Justice, National Cohesion and Constitutional Affairs, Mr Mutula Kilonzo, said that although Michuki was not influential in the political sense, his personal clarity and preparedness were a big asset to the President.

Took a back seat

“He was also pragmatic and easily came to terms once situations change,” said Mr Kilonzo.

In the initial stages of the coalition government, Mr Michuki was among hardliners who believed that the president should not give in without a fight.

But once he realised that the coalition government was inevitable, he changed tack and took a back seat.

But Michuki was a late convert Kibaki supporter. In 1991 at the re-introduction of political pluralism, he allied himself with Kenneth Matiba’s Ford Asili rather than Kibaki’s Democratic Party.

It was not until 2002 when Michuki joined a group of parliamentarians led by Kibaki, which formed the National Alliance (Party) of Kenya (NAK).