President Uhuru Kenyatta's men are moving in to tame Deputy President William Ruto's influence in Parliament just before MPs return from a two-month recess.
There are ongoing attempts to cut off Ruto's influence in favour of Uhuru's side in the bicameral Parliament.
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Insiders have told the Star Uhuru is concerned that the DP enjoys a lot of support from both MPs and Senators, which could frustrate changes and the agenda the President wants pushed through.
These machinations to change this tide emerged on Tuesday night when Uhuru summoned the Jubilee parliamentary leadership to Mombasa to discuss the upcoming session.
"The DP had initially not been informed but the House leadership said it was only proper that as the Jubilee deputy party leader, Ruto should be part of the discussions," a source close to yesterday's meetings in Mombasa told the Star.
As a strategy to reduce the DP’s power in both Houses includes a plan to create a new position of Parliamentary Secretary linking the Executive and the Legislature.
Once created, the Executive will communicating with Parliament through the new office, contrary to the current set-up in which Majority leaders Adan Duale and Kipchumba Murkomen are responsible for government business in Parliament.
If this interface is executed, MP Duale and Senator Murkomen, who are key Ruto allies and advisers, will be reporting to the new office holder, an Uhuru ally.
“This is well captured in the Jubilee constitution. It is not something that is out of nowhere,” an insider said.
Insiders told the Star that Uhuru's allies have been tasked to reach out to MPs from Central region who are still backing Ruto so they can withdraw their support.
“So far so good, we only have three MPs remaining, one from Murang’a, one from Nyeri and there is another from Kiambu,” an MP familiar with the strategy said.
Jubilee insiders say there have been attempts to reduce Ruto's influence in Parliament, seen as a result of key positions being held by his allies.
Previous attempts for Uhuru's side to recapture these positions have been met with resistance.
Other key positions held by Ruto's allies include the Majority Whip in the National Assembly Ben Washiali, Majority Whip in the Senate Susan Kihika and Senate Speaker Ken Lusaka.
Deputy Majority leader in the National Assembly Jimmy Angwenyi and Senate Deputy Chief Whip Irungu Kanga’ta are also close Ruto allies
Just before Christmas, two MPs from Central Kenya started circulating a lengthy WhatsApp message targeted at Duale, accusing him of frustrating government agendas in the House.
They called on fellow MPs from Uhuru's backyard to join them in demanding a Parliamentary Group meeting to remove Duale from his position.
The message was dismissed by most other MPs from the region whenever it landed in WhatsApp groups.
Uhuru’s camp currently has the support of MPs allied to ODM leader Raila Odinga.
Also on Uhuru’s side are MPs from Kanu, Wiper and a sizeable number of legislators from Western.
Ruto’s lieutenants have protested against the multi-pronged assault, claiming it’s a scheme by the President to elbow out Ruto from the succession race.
Details of the plan emerged yesterday as Ruto's supporters voiced concern about Uhuru's decision to give Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang'i more power.
Some Ruto allies say the move, which effectively makes the CS the third most powerful man in government, was meant to isolate Ruto and obstruct his State House bid.
Nandi Senator Samson Cherargei was blunt, saying the changes communicated through an Executive order to make them legally binding were not done honourably.
“It’s clear this was not done in good faith and we clearly see 2022 at play here. The changes were part of a scheme to undermine DP Ruto,” Cherargei said.
On Monday, Uhuru radically reorganised his administration and established a four-tier executive authority.
In the new order, Matiang’i will take charge of the implementation and monitoring of all development projects initiated and funded by the national government through a new Cabinet subcommittee.
The elevation of Matiang'i with supervisory roles across government is seen as deliberately diminishing Ruto's powers.
Yesterday, Cherargei protested that Ruto as Uhuru’s second-in-command should be the one to coordinate inter-ministerial functions, and not another CS.
Some Rift Valley lawmakers who spoke to the Star said Ruto must now begin planning for his stab at the presidency without banking on Mount Kenya support.
“We have been complaining on a number of issues but things are moving from bad to worse. There is a script," one MP confided, not wanting to be seen to be rocking the Jubilee boat.
Malava MP Malulu Injendi (Jubilee) said Uhuru had clearly turned against his deputy.
“As people who supported Jubilee, we’re not happy. We supported both the President and his deputy and it is unfair for the head of state to begin undermining his deputy,” he said.
Malulu said the DP has been crisscrossing the country launching development projects on behalf of the President and it was unfair for the President to throw him under the bus.
Gatundu South MP Moses Kuria, who is among Ruto’s Mt Kenya allies, termed Uhuru’s decision as constitutional change without a referendum.
“Exactly what I had in mind when I proposed a Prime Minister and two Deputy Prime Ministers appointed by the President to assist the President and the Deputy President in these important roles,” Kuria said.
But Cherangany MP Joshua Kuttuny said Ruto is to blame for his political woes since he lacks astute advisers.
“The DP should expect more challenges because people surrounding him are just sycophants who cannot even read the signs of the time,” Kuttuny said.
According to Kuttuny, Ruto had lost most of his trusted allies with whom he started the now-defunct URP party and challenged him to redraft his strategy and shed allies who are baggage.
Some commentators are urging Ruto to quit government because the script of the deep state of cutting him down to size is already being implemented.
“My advice to him [Ruto] is to quit governmental and begin hitting at Uhuru as a betrayer. Tell the Kikuyus that this is not how to live with other Kenyans. Look for other people who have been betrayed before, like Kalonzo, and work with them. And if they don't want to, he can work directly with other leaders in those communities,” Herman Manyora told the Star.
However, this route appears unlikely.
Most of Ruto’s lieutenants yesterday remained guarded amid claims they had been gagged for fear an open clash would widen rifts in the ruling party.
Kapseret MP Oscar Sudi, a man known to have a sharp tongue in defending Ruto, said he would comment later.
However, Soy MP Caleb Kostany said Ruto would not be shaken by issues that do not affect his plans.
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