Now Jubilee forms ‘war council’ to counter resurgent Opposition

Jubilee has devised an elaborate strategy to deflate a seemingly energised Opposition that has, for some time now, been waging multi-pronged attacks against it, putting ruling coalition lieutenants in a state of constant retaliation.

A discussion with key Jubilee ideologues reveals a plan to launch a series of colossal attacks in the coming weeks with a view to portraying Cord as unqualified to stand on a moral high ground on matters of public interest.

A leading government figure told the Sunday Nation that to reduce on playing catch-up, Jubilee will actively be adopting “attack as the best form of defence” and “even play dirty when situations demand” ahead of 2017, in the hope of turning the tables on Cord.

The first major assignment, the Sunday Nation learnt, is to infiltrate Cord so that more of their MPs vote to defeat the planned impeachment of President Uhuru Kenyatta in Parliament.

Renegade Opposition figure Gideon Mung’aro, who is the Kilifi North MP, has been tasked to mobilise as many of his colleagues as he possibly can, in what would certainly involve resources, to “turn the process into a vote of confidence in the President”.

Charging that Cord suffers from an exaggerated sense of relevance, Senate Majority Leader Kithure Kindiki says many MPs from the Opposition could actually vote with the government side on the impeachment, if and when it is tabled for vote.

“They will be surprised that even from their ranks, we will get considerable support because there is lack of a clear agenda in Cord, other than engaging in a circus.”

SERIES OF BLUNDERS

Having his own MPs shoot down a motion sponsored by the coalition he leads would, without a doubt, expose Opposition chief Raila Odinga to mockery.

But the fact that the Opposition can introduce a motion of this nature, even if it cannot marshal enough numbers to send Mr Kenyatta packing, is a sure way of embarrassing him — as Water and Irrigation Cabinet Secretary Eugene Wamalwa recently acknowledged in a public forum.

Like a leader with the sword of Damocles hanging over his head, Jubilee has had a series of blunders, handing Cord enough arsenal to fight back, analysts say.

It also turns out that a rally mooted by Jubilee to counter Cord’s Wednesday rally, in which the government came under a stinging attack, was shelved at the last minute on the advice that they would be playing into Cord’s trap.

“It would have cleansed the barbarism Cord displayed,” the Majority Leader told the Sunday Nation.

To further seek to intimidate Cord, some Jubilee MPs said they would name individuals from the Opposition said to have benefited from cases of graft in government.

“They cannot be enjoying such loot while, at the same time, they are shouting from the rooftops that they are anti-graft crusaders,” a URP MP, who did not want to be seen as acknowledging there is corruption in government, said.

“We should not gang up against one officer (Devolution and Planning Cabinet Secretary Anne Waiguru) when it is clear there is a wider scheme by camouflaged merchants of graft to unfairly malign the President’s reputation,” Mukurweini MP Kabando wa Kabando (TNA) said.

There are reports that some Opposition MPs could have benefited from the Sh791 million stolen from the National Youth Service under Ms Waiguru.

Another strategy is the judicial route. Here, the plan is to engage a pool of Jubilee-leaning lawyers to constantly study utterances by Cord politicians in public rallies and drag them to court for defamation.

DEAL WITH MUTHAMA

Already, the chairman of Central Kenya and Nairobi Parliamentary Caucus, who is also the Dagoretti South MP, Mr Dennis Waweru, has taken on Machakos Senator Johnstone Muthama, who he wants charged with hate speech arising at a rally addressed by Opposition leaders on Wednesday.

“We are not taking Machakos Senator Johnstone Muthama’s remarks lightly. His sustained attack on our people and the President will not be tolerated any more. We are demanding urgent punitive action from the National Cohesion and Integration Commission on the ill-mannered senator. I have already written to Mr Francis ole Kaparo’s office and instructed my lawyer to undertake legal proceedings against Mr Muthama,” he said.

“Those thinking that they can get power through the back door must be told that President Uhuru Kenyatta and Deputy President William Ruto are fully in charge of the country. The Opposition is just being envious of the progress Jubilee is making on many fronts,” he said.

Mr Kenyatta is reportedly not happy with the performance of his foot soldiers. Those around him say he feels his men could do a better job. That way, he and his deputy Ruto would respond to the Opposition only when acutely necessary.

Also, the thinking in Jubilee is that dealing with the Opposition would be effortless were the likes of Bomet Governor Isaac Ruto, Nandi Hills MP Alfred Keter and Kericho Governor Paul Chepkwony to drop their criticism from within. The trio belong to the DP’s URP party.

Jubilee has missed the services of House Majority Leader Aden Duale, who has been out of the country for about a fortnight now. Mr Duale is a straight shooter who has cut a niche for himself as an ardent defender of the establishment, a trait that has earned him hatred in Opposition quarters.

Majority chief whip Katoo ole Metito (TNA) vows to apply brakes to Cord’s onslaught on them. “We must stop them; be wary of an opposition that seeks to thrive on hatred and character assassination. It only tells you they do not have an agenda for the country, all they have tried to do — like Okoa Kenya referendum and Saba Saba initiatives — have come a cropper.”

UHURU IMPEACHMENT

Divulging part of their grand scheme to shield Mr Kenyatta from impeachment, Mr Metito, like Prof Kindiki, claims that not even 10 per cent of Cord lawmakers would support the motion.

“The end result will be an affirmation of a looming landslide victory for Mr Kenyatta in 2017 polls, a show of firm public trust in his leadership,” Mr Metito said yesterday from New York where he is part of the President’s delegation to the UN General Assembly.

But a defiant Opposition says it will not be cowed by Jubilee’s new “war council”. It says Jubilee has lost the plot and is resorting to blackmail to make up for “its legitimacy deficit”.

“Claiming that members of the Opposition are involved in corruption in government is diversionary, as it is an admission that Jubilee is actually condoning graft. Kenyans have had enough of a government that has failed to honour a social contract it ought to have had with the people. This is the more reason we want to send Mr Kenyatta home,” ODM secretary for political affairs and Ugunja MP Opiyo Wandayi said.

Mr Wandayi added that the impeachment motion is very popular, even within government circles, warning that Mr Kenyatta could have the shock of his life when the motion is brought to the House.

Jubilee has been struggling to contain Mr Raila Odinga who, by virtue of not being in Parliament, has a lot of time on his hands to launch intermittent attacks on the government.

KEPT CORD INTACT

To his credit, Mr Odinga and his co-principals Kalonzo Musyoka and Moses Wetang’ula have managed to keep their forces intact, despite not controlling State resources.

There is no denying that in a polity replete with a culture of buying loyalty and silencing dissent, stopping the government from infiltrating the Opposition is impossible.

Dr Tom Wolf, the lead researcher at Ipsos Kenya Ltd, explains why it is hard for Mr Odinga to keep his house intact, compared with President Kenyatta.

“The challenge the Opposition everywhere has is, they do not have access to State resources. That way, it is difficult to keep your troops in order and happy.”

Cord insiders say regular retreats called by their principals have been instrumental in promoting cohesion within the affiliates, giving them more impetus to take on Jubilee. “They have helped us do thorough housekeeping and aided in forming calculated responses to issues,” Mr Wandayi said.