Michuki fires the first salvo as differences mar Cabinet talks

Bitter differences between the grand coalition partners played out at Tuesday’s Cabinet meeting called to approve crucial Bills relating to the 2012 elections.

Environment minister John Michuki is said to have kicked off the storm when he accused some of his colleagues of speaking ill of the government during public rallies.

Mr Michuki is said to have questioned the rationale of having Cabinet meetings when some of his colleagues behaved as if they were not ministers during public rallies.

Sources at the meeting said that valuable time was spent on harsh exchanges between ministers allied to ODM and PNU, limiting the Cabinet to approving only two Bills seeking to establish the bodies that will conduct the next general elections and determine the salaries of public servants and members of independent commissions.

At the end, only the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission Bill and the Salaries and Remuneration Commission Bill were approved and now await publication before being presented to Parliament for debate.

Conspicuously missing at the meeting were Finance minister Uhuru Kenyatta and Secretary to the Cabinet Francis Muthaura.

The two are headed to The Hague to make their initial appearance at the International Criminal Court (ICC) where they are among those accused of bearing the greatest responsibility for post- election violence.

A senior secretary at the Cabinet office, Mr Sam Mwale, stood in for Mr Muthaura who recently wrote to the Cabinet saying he would skip any meetings likely to discuss security matters in conformity with the strict conditions imposed on the six post-election violence suspects by ICC chief prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo.

Cabinet sources who requested not to be named because they are not allowed to divulge government secrets, reported that ministers allied to the two coalition partners openly traded accusations over their loyalty to the two principals.

Prime Minister Raila Odinga is said to have complained that he was unable to discharge his functions effectively because some ministers deliberately skipped his functions.

He cited a function on performance contracting by various ministries which he recently presided over but was not attended by several ministers.

But PNU-allied ministers hit back, accusing the PM’s staff of sending late invitations therefore making it difficult for them to adjust their schedules to attend the functions.

Trade minister Chirau Ali Mwakwere is said to have blamed the PM for what he described as an embarrassing moment he had endured during a meeting between a government delegation and the United Nations Security Council members.

During the meetings to discuss Kenya’s request to have cases facing the Ocampo Six deferred, some Council members had demanded to know which wing of the government they represented.

Vice-President Kalonzo Musyoka is also said to have presented a report on his shuttle diplomacy and accused the PM of disowning the mission even though he had been party to meetings where the decision was taken.

In what was seen as an attack on Justice minister Mutula Kilonzo, Mr Mwakwere complained to the President about a Cabinet minister who had repeatedly described the shuttle diplomacy as a waste of public funds at a time when they were lobbying for the cases facing the Ocampo Six to be deferred.