Mt Kenya MPs' rant sets the stage for BBI intrigues

Kiharu MP Ndindi Nyoro. He and several of his colleagues are opposed to a parliamentary system of government. PHOTO | FILE | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • In a signed statement, they particularly vowed to oppose attempts to have the country’s chief executive elected by Parliament as currently constituted.
  • But Jubilee former vice-chairman David Murathe dismisses the position taken by some of the Mt Kenya MPs on the BBI as mere politicking.

Even before it is made public, the report of the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) is already causing jitters among political players, with President Uhuru Kenyatta maintaining a cautious approach on the matter.

On Thursday, for instance, a group of 39 legislators from the Mount Kenya region threatened to reject BBI proposals if they do not address the interests of the people from the region.

In a signed statement, they particularly vowed to oppose attempts to have the country’s chief executive elected by Parliament as currently constituted.

Thirty-nine is not a small number, and the fact such a number of lawmakers from the President’s backyard can gather and append signatures to a document that amplifies a position contrary to the one publicly espoused by Mr Kenyatta begs a host of questions.

Are the members of the National Assembly and Senate acting independently or under the direction of a powerful political figure behind the scenes?

The involvement of Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Mwangi Kiunjuri and other senior government officials from the region also raises questions as to whether they are acting with the blessings of the country’s chief executive officer.

OPEN DEFIANCE

Alternatively, are 39 legislators and a host of government officials openly rebelling against the President?

“It is unlikely that such a huge number of opinion leaders from the President’s own backyard can openly show defiance to his face,” opines an Orange party lawmaker from the Coast region, who sought anonymity fearing his sentiments could raffle feathers within the party.

“This is a choreographed exercise that will gain momentum, leading to Uhuru bolting out of the BBI arrangement with a lame excuse to Baba [Orange Democratic Movement leader Raila Odinga] that this thing cannot work ‘since my people are rejecting it."'

Indeed, the MP’s opinion captures the emerging quiet fears among Mr Odinga’s supporters and lawmakers allied to him.

During last Sunday’s Mashujaa Day celebrations in Mombasa, the ODM leader and his deputy, Mombasa Governor Hassan Joho, drummed up support for the yet-to-be-released report, as the President and his deputy, William Ruto, steered clear of the subject.

A curious interpretation of Thursday’s press conference by one politician points to the fact that the President may as well be uncomfortable with a presidential system of government.

REGIONAL INTERESTS

According to the second-term MP, the Mount Kenya legislators are not saying they will reject the BBI.

“They are simply looking for a way to engage and be part of it. Having failed to present their views when the rest of us were doing so, they are aware that the issue of voter equality is critical and know the President may be unwilling to accept a parliamentary system with the current composition of constituencies,” says the MP.

The Mount Kenya MPs, he says, have smartly picked a safe issue to look like they are fighting the BBI process whilst knowing it’s not going to be a fight.

Then they can be officially accepted as part of the process. Nonetheless, Kiharu MP Ndindi Nyoro firmly disassociates the President from the anti-BBI push by the legislators.

“The President has nothing to do with this. Our protest is purely out of our independent thinking. We are simply concerned that a parliamentary system of government will not serve as well as a region.”

But challenged as to why they were opposed to an initiative whose report was yet to be published, Mr Nyoro maintains they have an inkling of where the BBI is headed.

“Ours is a consultative team that includes even CSs, business people and lawyers from the region. Na hii kitu ikitoka hivi hatulali nyumbani, tutaenda kuichambua (and once the report comes out, we will go on retreat to study it).

SPLIT OPINIONS

Jubilee former vice-chairman David Murathe dismisses the position taken by some of the Mt Kenya MPs on the BBI as mere politicking.

“These are the same people in the Tangatanga formation — we know their intention and we know their leader. You cannot call a press conference to demonise a document whose content you do not have.”

Mr Murathe’s stand notwithstanding, the BBI issue has attracted heated political debate, with Mr Odinga taking a firmer stand and openly pushing for the initiative; while the Deputy President has, on the other hand, been digging in and dismissing the initiative as a “one-man project”, referring to Mr Odinga.

Over the time, the BBI ping-pong between the two leaders and their supporters has transformed into some pre-2022 presidential poll contest, awkwardly leaving President Kenyatta in the middle.

“As a pragmatic politician, Uhuru will progressively lean to the side with the stronger pull. Legacy, friendship, philosophical and policy alignment, electoral prospects and a post-2022 power-sharing deal will all play a role,” observes Arthur Odera, former Teso North MP.

SPECULATION

Reached for comment, ODM Secretary-General Edwin Sifuna sought to allay fears of a change of heart by President Kenyatta and his party leader on the BBI issue.

He attributed the apparent confusion to “the same old tricks” by politicians who were seeking to get more seats in Parliament ahead of 2022.

“It is foolhardy to continue this debate over a document whose contents remain unknown to us,” he said.

“Politicians must just hold their horses. What is more, the anticipated BBI product is not a constitutional amendment bill, but rather a raft of proposals on how to make Kenya a friendlier and peaceful state — and we shall all have an opportunity to discuss and agree on the proposals.”