Kibaki must clarify on second-in-command

Apr 30, 2008

THE power-sharing deal between President Mwai Kibaki and prime minister Raila Odinga appears headed for a stalemate following the protocol goofs over whether Odinga or vice-president Kalonzo Musyoka was Kenya’s number two.

By Reuben Olita

THE power-sharing deal between President Mwai Kibaki and prime minister Raila Odinga appears headed for a stalemate following the protocol goofs over whether Odinga or vice-president Kalonzo Musyoka was Kenya’s number two.

The joint tour by the leaders to internally displaced persons refugee camps in the Rift Valley brought embarrassing scenes when Odinga and Musyoka disagreed in the open, sending a bad signal to Kibaki’s administration.

They reiterated their commitment to work together in the interest of serving Kenyans despite media reports of an alleged power struggle between them.

Dismissing the incident, the two leaders said the grand coalition government was united and called for reconciliation and healing among Kenyans.

Odinga and Musyoka said time had come for everyone to put aside their political and tribal differences and concentrate in the restoration of the country’s peace and prosperity.

Sharp differences emerged during a meeting addressed by the president and the two leaders over who was more senior.

Trouble started when the Odinga, after his speech at the Kipchoge Keino Stadium in Eldoret, invited the President to speak and ignored Musyoka. Odinga told the rally that the vice-president’s position was below that of the President and the prime minister’s.

However, according to the constitution, the vice-president is the principal assistant to the president and he is mandated to invite him to speak at public functions whenever present.

Odinga, Musyoka and internal security minister George Saitoti are at the centre of the power struggle.

Consequently, a cross-section of leaders have called for a clear explanation of the power-sharing deal between President Kibaki and the prime minister.

Former Attorney General Charles Njonjo asked Kibaki to give direction on protocol. Njonjo said the country and the president were being embarrassed in public through pecking order mistakes, which should be clarified. “Kibaki can direct an order of precedence consistent with the power-sharing accord and spare the country further embarrassment.”

He said the clash between the prime minister and the vice-president was unfortunate, especially when the country was crying for reconciliation.

“The stand-off between Raila and Kalonzo on protocol issues is embarrassing and sending wrong signals to the public,” he said, adding that the prime minister has constitutional powers while the vice-president is junior and has no constitutional authority.

Njonjo said during his time as the Attorney General, they could not allow the president to be embarrassed at all. “But the head of the civil service and other senior officers seem to be enjoying this.”

The Accord, he said, was a political agreement between two parties and the principals Raila and Kibaki.

“Kalonzo had no business visiting Rift Valley. The displaced people wanted to meet the president and the prime minister,” he said.

Njonjo asked Kibaki to settle the issue and reciprocate Raila’s gesture.

“Raila has graciously conceded that Kibaki is head of state and head of government. It behooves the president to reciprocate that gesture by ensuring the prime minister, if not on equal footing to him, is second to him in precedence,” he said.

The Law Society of Kenya and other civil society organisations have branded the “seniority mind game” a political statement of the intense Kibaki succession battles.

The vice-chairman of the Law Society of Kenya, James Mwamu, said under the coalition arrangement, Raila was equal to Kibaki politically, and ranked second followed by the vice-president.

“But some people who have the 2012 presidential race in mind want to sideline Raila from his number two slot in the pecking order,” he said.

The ICJ country director, George Kegoro, said there was lack of magnanimity from the top leadership. “If they can sort themselves away from the public glare the better.”

Forestry Minister, Dr. Noah Wekesa and his immigration and registration of persons counterpart, Otieno Kajwang’ warned government officials against introducing “funny games”. Wekesa said Kenyans recognised that Raila’s office only compares to that of the president.

“It is good to jostle to feel great, but let us accept the reality, everybody knows for God’s sake that Raila’s office is sharing power with the office of the president,” he said.

Kajwang asked the vice-president to stop indulging in what he termed unnecessary “small power game” and accept that his office was subordinate to that of the prime minister.

The writer is a journalist based
in Nairobi

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