Ruto, Mt Kenya MPs meeting that laid the ground for Raila's entry

President William Ruto, Speaker Moses Wetangula, Azimio leader Raila Odinga and DP Rigathi Gachagua, among other leaders, at the KICC during the signing of the IEBC Bill. [Denish Ochieng, Standard]

President William Ruto met with at least 60 MPs from the Mt Kenya region on Wednesday evening, it has emerged.

The Standard can reveal that Ruto held a four-hour meeting with the leaders to prepare them for a looming incorporation of Azimio leader Raila Odinga in his administration. In the meeting that took place in Runda at the home of an MP from Kirinyaga County, Ruto said he would govern the country with the help of the opposition leader.

MPs who attended the meeting said that Ruto claimed his deputy, Rigathi Gachagua, had deserted him.

He said he was finding it difficult to balance between being in State House and communicating the government agenda.

“He expressed his frustration at the conduct of his deputy and informed us of his intention to bring in Raila into government. He said his deputy does not communicate government agenda and programs to the people and that when he speaks, he only opposes the government he is serving,” an MP who attended the meeting said.

Another MP said the President was concerned that if he fails to bring Raila on board, his administration would not deliver any of the promises they gave to Kenyans.

“He explained that the situation was different with his case and former President Uhuru Kenyatta. He said that even with their tiff  (with Uhuru), he could still go to the electorate and enumerate government programs,” the MP said.

Gachagua, the President reportedly told the MPs, seemed not to care about the government programs and was only keen on his ‘divisive and ethnic agenda’ while crisscrossing his Mt Kenya backyard.

The MPs interpreted the move by the President to meet and explain to them his reasons for bringing Raila on board as a strategy aimed at preparing them psychologically to avoid a political backlash.

“He was seeking to avert the backlash that occurred between Mt Kenya leaders and Uhuru when they learnt about handshake deal that saw the Ruto, then Deputy President, publicly oppose and formed a political alliance with the disgruntled Mt Kenya leaders,” another MP told The Standard.

He said while the MPs nodded to the President’s plan, they were, however, sceptical whether the Raila-Ruto alliance would be accepted in Mt Kenya region.

“Although Gachagua has no numbers when it comes to leaders, the people are with him. He has radicalized the region against most of us and the Raila factor in Ruto regime will only work better for him politically. On the other part, we are concerned that if we will not follow Ruto, then Gachagua will have successfully driven us out of government,” the MP said.

Extensive consultations

Hours after the meeting, Ruto disbanded the Cabinet and said he would engage in extensive consultations across different sectors and political formations to set up a broad-based government.

“I will immediately engage in extensive consultations across different sectors and political formations, with the aim of setting up a broad-based government that will assist me in accelerating and expediting the necessary, urgent and irreversible, implementation of radical programs,” Ruto said.

The Saturday Standard has learnt that the government and Azimio are at an advanced stage to come up with the proposed names before mid-next week.

Some of the nominees will be picked from the serving MPs to support Ruto in the delivery of his agenda. This means the move will occasion by-elections.

The President’s move has already received backlash from Azimio-allied leaders led by Narc Kenya leader and the Azimio deputy party leader Martha Karua and Jubilee Secretary General Jeremiah Kioni.

They threatened to withdraw from Azimio should the ODM party, which has already welcomed the proposal, continue with its plan.

Karua, in a phone interview, said she was not party to the idea and “would have absolutely no interest to enter in a government led by Ruto. And if Raila has had such discussions, he has not disclosed it to me.”

“In Narc Kenya, we do not support. We had a NEC meeting on Thursday and we are very unhappy with the actions of the Ruto regime. We have not seen any move to have investigations of police who shoot unarmed protestors, being prosecuted,” she said.

Karua said any move to have a broad-based government is a cosmetic change to save itself. She said she has not heard of any compensation or apology for those who died or were injured during protests.

On the status of the coalition, Karua said the Azimio has not been well since the inception of the National Dialogue Committee, predicting its death should Raila’s ODM proceed to join government.

“If ODM go into government, it will not be us as Azimio and if they go as Azimio, then we shall withdraw immediately. There’ is no two ways. We can’t be in a forced marriage. We do not want anybody pouring cold water on the genuine demands for accountability by Gen Z. We should not aid and abet Kenyans being given a pacifier like William Ruto did during NADCO. Because dialogue was a pacifier in the mouth of a crying child,” she said.

Kioni termed the proposal on broad-based government as Ruto’s self-preservation strategy saying any Azimio leader who joins the government will be termed as a betrayal of the people.

“Ruto is on a higher gear of self-preservation because the actions of Gen Z of forcing him to withdraw the Finance Bill and to dissolve the Cabinet means a vote of no confidence,” Kioni said.

He continued: “The protests were held in 36 counties and 160 Constituencies and this meant that the Ruto government has lost legitimacy and he wants to come up with a political structure that will help him finish the remainder of his term.”

National Council of Churches of Kenya (NCCK) General Secretary Canon Rev Chris Kinyanjui objected to any form of a broad-based government.

He said it was not on the list of demands by Gen Z wondering whether the President had listened to the aspirations of the youth.

“The Gen Z issues were all about compliance of the constitution, corruption, wastage of public resources, change of attitude and behaviour. I’ am afraid that broad-based administration was not part of their complaints. Listening seems to be a bit of a challenge in this administration. But as a church, we shall continue asking for accountability,” he told the Standard on phone.

Gachagua’s allies led by Nyeri Governor Mutahi Kahiga warned that any scheme to isolate DP will lead to a revolt in the region. He said Gachagua is the link between the region and the President.

“Mt Kenya residents will not stomach any move to sideline Gachagua,” he said.

Kahiga maintained that Mt Kenya region must get Cabinet positions that are commensurate with the votes to Ruto.

But former Kakamega Governor Wycliffe Oparanya, a close ally of Raila, welcomed Ruto’s pronouncements.

“There has been perception that the President did pick people who could help him run the government and he could be trying to correct that by forming a broad-based government,” he said.

“Remember both him and Raila got 50 per cent of total votes and it is good that his Cabinet reflects the face of the nation,” said Oparanya.