Raila and Ruto rivalry plays out as Kajiado MCAs debate key Bill

Kajiado County Assembly speaker and other officers during a seating at the chambers. [Peterson Githaiga, Standard]

The Kajiado County Assembly was split on Wednesday during voting for a new law that seeks to create new administration units for the county government.

Two rival camps emerged allied to ODM leader Raila Odinga and another to Deputy President William Ruto.

The Raila wing included allies of Governor Joseph ole Lenku. MCAs in this grouping are drawn from Jubilee, ODM, and Wiper parties. They braved an onslaught by allies of Ruto who opposed the Kajiado County Village Administration Bill (2021).

The pro-Ruto MCAs, who are largely rebelling Jubilee members, attempted to shoot down the Bill arguing new positions being created could be used to rig next year’s General Election. 

Led by Nominated MCA Onesmus Ngogoyo and Ewuaso Inkidong MCA Justus Ngossor, the UDA-leaning members did not mince words while opposing the Bill. “We are opposed to the timing. Why have the populous wards been allocated fewer administrators,” posed Ngossor.

However, the government side led by Majority Leader Julius Moipai and Majority Whip James Waichanguru stood their ground and pushed with the agenda.

The Bill creates positions of village administrators as the grassroots. A a point of reference and by jurisdiction, they are equivalent to chiefs in the national government as they will be in charge of gazetted locations.

The administrative positions seen as strategic in cascading government agenda from the county headquarters have attracted lobbying from across the county. Opponents of Governor Lenku have warned that he should not use the positions to advance his political agenda.

‘’I don’t support that Bill. It’s a strategy to manipulate the coming election. The government will use those county chiefs to rig the election in favor of the incumbent’’ said George Kingori, a parliamentary aspirant. But the governors allies in the assembly maintained the new positions are anchored in law and Lenku is merely implementing it.

“The issues of timing is neither here nor there. Some counties have already created these positions. We are just implementing what is provided for in the law,” said Moipai.

During the debate, Some MCAs led by Magadi’s Joseph Masiaya stormed out of the assembly.

The pro-Raila MCAs outnumbered the Ruto camp, prompting Speaker Johnson Osoi to put the question on the floor of the house. The Ayes carried the day.

Uhuru directives

The Bill was passed a week after Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i ordered chiefs and their assistants to rally behind President Uhuru Kenyatta’s directives.

In comments likely to be interpreted as an order to support Raila, Dr Matiang’i stressed that all officers serving in the security sector were subject to the President’s authority and therefore should follow his instructions.

President Kenyatta has in the recent past given clear indications that he supports the ODM leader to succeed him next year.

“I’m telling chiefs and their assistants, and the Deputy County Commissioners that we must support the President’s direction,” Matiang’i said.

He added: “When the President forms a queue and gives the direction of leadership, we in the security sector should be the first to follow.”

Matiang’i told the provincial administration they were the Uhuru’s representatives at the grassroots and should therefore conform to his instructions. 

The Interior CS spoke at Kekurro in Kajiado County during the installation of Senior Principal Chief Roika ole Shira. Other than Uhuru, the CS did not mention names.