MP Alfred Keter stands firm against Jubilee attack

Since March 2016, Alfred Kiptoo Keter has had no reason to be afraid of anybody in the political world.

That was the time he discovered, no doubt to his relief, that he was going to make it back to Parliament to serve the people of Nandi Hills as their representative in the National Assembly.

Before that, it was easy to write off the chances of the 38-year-old with a history of rebellion against the authorities.

STUDENTS STRIKE

What, after all, were the chances of survival for a man who appeared intent on embarrassing his party and its leaders in their first term in office?

It was easy to write off his chances as his main competitor was one Emmanuel Talam, whose last posting before seeking the Nandi Hills seat had been in the Office of the Deputy President.

But the youthful man prevailed.

It no doubt gave a psychological boost to the man expelled from Egerton University in 2002 for leading a strike by students against the administration.

After the second round of the presidential election, Mr Keter stunned many when he put up billboards in Nairobi, one strategically near Jubilee Party headquarters, congratulating President Uhuru Kenyatta.

HEAD OF COMMITTEES

One would have imagined that the man decided to change his rebelliousness.

But on December 13, the Jubilee Party’s Parliamentary Group met at State House.

After the names of the men and women designated to head the committees in the National Assembly came up, the clean-shaven man asked for the microphone.

“Keter stood up and spoke and he supported the formula as agreed by the Parliamentary Group,” Benjamin Washiali, Majority Whip in the National Assembly, said.

DEFIANT MPs

Mr Washiali said the leadership was surprised by Mr Keter’s decision to go against the party’s position and work his way to the leadership of the Labour Committee.

To accomplish this, he secured the support of Wilson Sossion (Nominated, ODM), Catherine Wambilianga (Bungoma Woman Rep, Ford-K), Tom Odege (Nyatike, ODM), Omboko Milemba (Emuhaya MP, ANC) and Ronald Tonui (Bomet Central, Jubilee) who are in the committee.

There were similar coups by three other ‘rebels’: Moiben MP Silas Tiren at the Agriculture Committee, Kangogo Bowen (Marakwet East) at the Environment Committee and James Gakuya (Embakasi North) in the Broadcasting Committee.

PETITION

Mr Keter would however become the face of the rebellion, refusing to attend meetings called at State House.

He later told journalists that he was attending court, where he is fighting a petition against his election.

The man with a permanent smile has managed to keep the leadership of the Jubilee Party busy this month.

After the party sought to remove the MPs from their committees, he led his colleagues in filing a case to stop them and orders were issued.

SGR CONSTRUCTION

Parliament now ‘respects’ court orders and so they remained members of the committees.

They were however helpless to stop the votes of no-confidence against them in the week.

It is difficult to tell what is driving the Nandi Hills MP’s latest rebellion.

When in 2014 he railed against the construction of the Standard Gauge Railway on the basis of its cost, he dismissed rumours that he was doing it for a certain disappointed billionaire.

ANNE WAIGURU

That time, he flew the flag of public accountability.

He would up the same standard when he fought Anne Waiguru and unsuccessfully sought her removal as Devolution Cabinet Secretary in 2015.

She would later resign, survive an onslaught from even the Deputy President and Majority Leader Aden Duale to become a governor.

He flies the flag of the independence of Parliament and the need to look into the goings-on at the National Social Security Fund and other institutions.

He appears to have learnt that where he comes from, being seen as a rebel works in your favour and those who are too close to the powers might eventually be forced to go back to saw milling.