Uhuru, Raila silence on unity deal fuels unending speculation

Close allies of President Uhuru Kenyatta and opposition leader Raila Odinga remain in the dark about the progress in implementing the deal between the two leaders, exactly one month after the famous handshake at Harambee House.

The fact that neither President Kenyatta nor Mr Odinga have spoken openly on tangible progress made since the handshake has only fuelled speculation that the deal is either a closely guarded secret or that it is headed nowhere.

Some of Mr Odinga’s closest allies including Siaya Senator James Orengo, Kakamega governor Wycliffe Oparanya and Busia Senator Amos Wako have openly voiced their frustration at the lack of progress in the deal.

DIALOGUE

On Thursday, Mr Wako vented his frustrations over the slow pace in implementing the handshake in a press statement, pleading with the two leaders to launch the dialogue programme urgently.

“It is almost one month since you issued the statement and neither the programme has been rolled out nor launched,” Mr Wako said in a letter to President Kenyatta and Mr Odinga.

Mr Wako warned that if not acted upon, and fast, the fruits of the deal, if any, will be drowned by noises about 2022 succession politics.

“I suggest that where constitutional and legal provisions will require to be enacted, the target should be that those provisions be enacted by mid-2020, before the 2022 elections fever takes over,” Mr Wako said.

Among the issues the two leaders promised to confront are ethnic antagonism and competition, lack of national ethos, inclusivity, devolution, divisive elections, safety and security, corruption and shared prosperity.

PATIENCE
They also promised to rollout a programme that was to implement their shared objectives and mandated lawyer Paul Mwangi and former Ambassador Martin Kamau to oversee the establishment of the programme.

The two were to establish an office and retain a retinue of advisers to assist in the implementation of the programme, all of which remain unclear a month later.

On Saturday, State House spokesman Manoah Esipisu called for patience from Kenyans.

“Let us exercise patience, the team that was mandated to implement the programme, Paul Mwangi for Raila and Martin Kimani for Uhuru are still working on it; when they are through, they will let the country know the progress made.

"I do not think that the launch is important, what is important is what is achieved,” he said on telephone.

2022 ELECTIONS

Dr Noah Akala, Mr Odinga’s Private Secretary, on his part insisted that the planned launch was still on but referred Sunday Nation to Mr Mwangi for further details.

“I understand there is a sense of anxiety among the political class and this is because they are more concerned about the 2022 elections.

"The MoU said that the official launch will be held soon and I can tell you we are still in the time frame of soon. You must understand that good things take time,” Dr Akala said.

He insisted there are regular consultations between Mr Mwangi for Mr Odinga and Mr Martin Kimani representing President Kenyatta.

“I can also confirm to you that there are regular consultations between Mr Odinga and President Kenyatta.”

DEVOLUTION FORUM
Dr Akala said Mr Odinga has reiterated to his secretariat, the MPs and the senators his unwavering commitment to the MoU.

“You have noted that this week the government and the Council of Governors extended an invitation to Mr Odinga to give the keynote speech during the devolution conference in Kakamega later this month.”

This sentiments were supported by Minority Whip Junet Mohamed who asked critics of the handshake to give the two leaders time.

“The deal was not about ODM joining the government. It was about the nine-point agenda the two leaders articulated after their meeting,” he said.

“The deal is just about one month old. No child walks in one month after birth.

"The implementation programme of the initiative will be communicated to the country by the technical committee the two leaders set-up and it is only fair that everybody remains calm,” he maintained.

ODM LEADERS
But even as Dr Akala and Mr Mohamed defended the deal, it was evident that a lot remained to be done to achieve the objectives of the deal. 

Top ODM officials interviewed by Sunday Nation were not sure when the official launch of the programme will take place.

“Only Paul Mwangi can give you that kind of information,” ODM Secretary General Edwin Sifuna said when contacted.

The party’s deputy leader, Mr Oparanya, was equally in the dark about the progress of the talks.

“Call me on Tuesday I may have some information,” he said when reached for comment.

Mr Mwangi did not pick our calls for the better part of the week, and the few times he picked, he urged that time was not ripe for him to give any updates on the progress in the implementation of the deal.

“We will give you a detailed brief at the appropriate time, bear with me lease,” he said when reached on Thursday.

MIGUNA DEPORTED
The fact that a scheduled press conference to have been addressed by Mr Mwangi and Mr Kimani two weeks ago was called off at the last minute has not helped matters either.

The second deportation of fiery lawyer Miguna Miguna back to Canada in full view of a helpless Mr Odinga has worsened matters, with the latter’s allies and supporters questioning President Kenyatta and Jubilee’s commitment to the deal.

A number of ODM MPs have voiced their concerns about the handshake, arguing that it does not advance the interests of the party.

“Our party leader has given everything for the good of the country but this has not been reciprocated by our colleagues on the other side who still insist on hurling insults his way,” an ODM MP complained.

UHURU'S LEGITIMACY
What is of concern to the party hardliners is that there is no direct benefit Mr Odinga has accrued as a result of the handshake.

While Mr Kenyatta’s presidency has been legitimised, there is little indication that Mr Odinga has anything tangible to show for it.

Within Jubilee Party, suspicion surrounds Mr Odinga’s sudden change of heart, with some cautioning President Kenyatta not to trust the opposition leader blindly.

Those critical of Mr Odinga are mainly allied to deputy President William Ruto who view his arrival as a scheme by some within Jubilee to overturn the apple cart and short-change their man.

Events of last Thursday, when a scheduled meeting between Mr Odinga and Devolution Cabinet Secretary Eugene Wamalwa, Council of Governors vice-chairperson Anne Waiguru and Senate deputy chief whip Irungu Kang’ata was called off at the last minute, have only added more confusion about the status of the handshake.

EXECUTIVE POWER
Sources within the CoG secretariat confided in Sunday Nation that while the meeting, that was to be held at Mr Odinga’s Capitol Hill offices to brief him about the forthcoming Devolution Conference in Kakamega later this month had tacit approval from State House, it was called off at the last minute following another call from the Office of the President.

A highly placed source within the executive revealed that there was discomfort from some government functionaries that the meeting would have portrayed Mr Odinga as a person who wields executive powers to the extent of summoning a Cabinet Secretary to his office.

It is unusual for a Cabinet Secretary to go to the office of an opposition leader to brief him about an upcoming event and deliver a personal invite to him, said a top government official who sought anonymity because of the secrecy surrounding the deal.

“The team was immediately called and told to cancel the meeting,” the source said.

CANCEL MEETING
According to the source, Mr Kang’ata and Ms Waiguru frantically tried to reach out to DP William Ruto to intervene so that they could continue with their meeting with Mr Odinga but it bore no fruit as both the President and the DP were in Bomet County on that day.

When contacted, Mr Kang’ata said he has no idea of what led to the cancellation of the meeting.

Mr Wamalwa is said to have earlier informed both Mr Kang’ata and Ms Waiguru that he had clearance from State House to go ahead with the meeting only for the two and other technocrats from the Devolution ministry to receive a call with firm instructions to abandon the journey.

By the time of receiving the call, the team was holed up in a room at Panafric Hotel fine-tuning what would have been areas of discussion with the opposition leader.

Early in the week, President Kenyatta had reportedly instructed all his Cabinet Secretaries and close allies that the relationship between him and Mr Odinga is purely personal and no third party should get involved unless he gives an express permission.