Will Kanu get piece of pie in new executive appointments?

Anxiety over the constitution of a new government has probably been accelerated rather than reduced after President Uhuru Kenyatta announced the re-appointment of only six Cabinet secretaries and unveiled three fresh nominees.

This has left the other 13 Cabinet secretaries on tenterhooks as the official statement from State House was not clear if they had been dropped, or if they if continue serving until they are either re-appointed or replaced.

The piecemeal announcement appointments are bound to set tongues wagging. First there are the influential ministers in key dockets whose fates remain unclear, including Eugene Wamalwa (Water and Irrigation), Willy Bett (Agriculture), Mwangi Kiunjuri (Devolution), Cleopa Mailu (Health), Amina Mohamed (Foreign), and Raychelle Omamo (Defence).

Then there will be increased speculation that appointment of less than a third of the Cabinet slots as an indication of difficulties faced by President Kenyatta and Deputy President William Ruto in navigating a quiet tug-of-war that may be impacting on the pact which the Jubilee Party was founded.

POWER SHARING

Mr Kenyatta and Mr Ruto basically came together ahead of the 2013 elections and binding their respective TNA and URP parties under a power sharing and presidential succession pact.

Formal merger of the two parties and a host of fringe outfits ahead of the 2017 elections transforming the Jubilee coalition into the Jubilee Party did not change the agreement which President Kenyatta was to serve two terms and then pass over the baton to Mr Ruto.

With the second term confirmed after the disputed election last year, there has been evident wrangling over the make-up of the new Cabinet.

According to well-informed sources, one bone of contention has been diverging priorities; with President Kenyatta determined to use his second and final term to cement is legacy by delivering on a host of development project, while Mr Ruto is focused on using the term to strengthen his political and financial power base with an eye on the 2022 polls.

CABINET SLOTS

In terms of the Kikuyu-Kalenjin partnership that is the foundation stone of Jubilee, there has been evident disquiet within Mr Ruto’s camp following statements from some of President Kenyatta’s supporters that they are not bound to support the DPs presidential bid come to the next elections.

There has been particular alarm that President Kenyatta seems to be wooing Baringo Senator Gideon Moi, and may even have promised the boss of former ruling party, Kanu, some Cabinet slots.

This might be an innocent way of expanding the Jubilee basket and rewarding Kanu for its support at the last polls, but to Mr Ruto’s supporters it amounts to Mr Kenyatta cultivating an alternative toehold in the Kalenjin heartland.

Mr Ruto will not tolerate any such incursions into his political turf. He rose to present heights in Kalenjin leadership, and by extension onto the national arena, by literally elbowing retired President Daniel arap Moi (Gideon’s father) out of the way.

PRESIDENCY

He remains keenly conscious that some see him as an interloper in a room where the Kenyatta and Moi families go back a long way, but he also knows that his role was crucial to delivering the presidency for Mr Kenyatta and will not surrender his space.

The younger Moi as also declared that he will run for president in 2022, but would probably not be a treat to Mr Ruto unless he came with endorsement of Mr Kenyatta and the Kikuyu community.

That is a scenario Mr Ruto will not countenance, and would firmly veto any Kanu or Kalenjin cabinet appointments that did not come from him.

Mr Kenyatta and Mr Ruto are also having to grapple with fierce lobbying from the Jubilee side following on the pre-election promises where many lent their support in apparent exchange for Cabinet posts, especially the politicians who from oppositions zones who defected and now clamouring for rewards.

Finally, there is the push for a negotiated settlement to the post-election crisis. Just as President Mwai Kibaki did in 2008, it is possible that some Cabinet slots are being left open as sweeteners at any talks with opposition chieftain Raila Odinga.