Plot hatched to tame impulsive Duale

The Jubilee Coalition has started a caucus of Parliamentary committee chairmen to push for its agenda in the House in what is seen as a way of clipping the powers of Majority Leader Aden Duale.

Mr Duale is on the spot over what Jubilee leaders term as his “lukewarm” support for the war on terrorism.

Mr Duale has proved himself as a key defender of the Jubilee administration and is said to have rubbed its leaders the wrong way when he opposed the Westgate report in Parliament.

On Monday, Mr Duale, appearing in a local TV show, had difficulty responding to a caller who questioned why he had twitted condolences to the family of slain Mombasa cleric, Sheikh Makaburi, yet he has not said anything about the Likoni church attack.
He later described crackdown in Eastleigh on illegal aliens by police as “indiscriminate harassment”.

The Majority Leader surprised many on Friday when he threatened to withdraw his support for the Jubilee government over “arbitrary arrests of his people.”

That was the first time Mr Duale had made unsavoury remarks about the Kenyatta administration.

“We stand by the interests of our people,” Mr Duale said at a rally in Eastleigh attended by over 20 MPs and Senators from North Eastern, Coast and Upper Eastern.

“We were elected by the Muslim community and we shall defend their interests,” he said amidst cheers from the charged crowd, at a time when President Kenyatta was presiding over passing out of police recruits in Kiganjo and declaring tough war on terrorism.

On Thursday, Mr Duale led other Muslim leaders in a meeting with Interior Cabinet Secretary Joseph ole Lenku at Harambee House over the war on terror and then they visited Central Police station.

The Harambee House meeting was organised by a National Council Against Drug Abuse official and attended by 29 Muslim and government leaders. It is at the meeting where Mr Duale is said to have come under attack from participants for failing to provide Muslim leadership.

Jubilee Coalition strategist Moses Kuria told the Sunday Nation Mr Duale’s actions had caused unease among its top leadership, as he was seen to be contradicting the President’s stance against terrorism.

“It would be better for Jubilee to lose power than continue to entertain his behaviour — his competing interests meant to entrench him in power,” Mr Kuria said.

According to Mr Kuria, Mr Duale opposed the Westgate report because it called for the closure of the Dadaab refugee camp yet it is a Jubilee agenda which had been reached through a tripartite agreement with the United Nations High Commission for Refugees and the Somalia Government.

“It is wrong for Mr Duale to condemn the crackdown on criminals and terrorists yet it is countrywide. It is not an Eastleigh, Mombasa or Muslim issue. It is as if he is fighting government efforts to create security,” Mr Kuria said,
Mr Kuria said Jubilee committee chairmen from both URP and TNA are changing party structures to ensure they head the policy docket within their party.

Known as the Jubilee Coalition Committee, it is to be chaired on a rotational basis by the MPs.

But nominated MP Johnson Sakaja, who is the current committee chair, said the formation of the group has nothing to do with undermining Mr Duale, but is meant to complement his work.

“Ours is a consultative forum to agree on issues before the committees and update each other on what the committees are doing,” Mr Sakaja said.

“Lack of coordination has cost us some reports and motions in the House. That is why we decided we should meet on a regular basis to discuss issues with members so that we take common positions,” Mr Sakaja said adding that the committees’ caucus was reminiscent with those in other presidential structures, such as in the US.