Ruto ready for PM post - allies

 

 

 

Deputy President William Ruto is understood to have indicated he is ready for a parliamentary system of government, according to a close ally.

The MP from the Rift Valley said Ruto is at home with the presidential system. However, he would welcome the much-touted parliamentary system if it is recommended by the BBI report and approved in a referendum.

National Assembly Majority Leader Aden Duale, a leading voice in the campaign for a parliamentary system, says Ruto will have the numbers to become Prime Minister.

Belgut MP Nelson Koech told the Star that Ruto will have no problem if the changes take place.

"At the end of the day, we are okay with any form of government they want as long as Kenyans are given an opportunity to have their say. When push comes to shove, we will only reject a monarchy system," Koech, who is in Ruto's inner circle, said.

A monarch is not elected.

In as much as Ruto carefully avoided the succession debate in his Sunday activities in central Kenya, his lieutenants gave their conditional support for the BBI.

The lot promised to upset the BBI proponents should the document not meet their desired outcome - citing development as the basis for which they would evaluate the report.

The DP said the opinion of every single Kenyan should count "if the BBI report is to be backed."  

He said: "Let us ignore those using threats to support the report whose content is not yet known. Every Kenyan should be given a chance to read and understand the report. That way, we will agree on how we will move forward together." 

Ruto was accompanied by MPs Kimani Ichungwa (Kikuyu), Ndindi Nyoro (Kiharu), Rigathi Gachagua (Mathira), Jayne Kihara (Naivasha), Patrick Wainaina (Thika Town), Moses Kuria (Gatundu South), Gabriel Kago (Githunguri) and former Thika Town MP Alice Ng'ang'a. 

He contributed Sh4 million to AIPCA Maguguni Church, PCEA Makongeni Church and Wakorino Altar Israel Church in Kiganjo, Thika.

Meanwhile, President Uhuru Kenyatta came under intense criticism over speculation he might use the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) to create the office of PM for himself.

Uhuru and ODM leader Raila Odinga are due to receive the much-awaited report tomorrow amid allegations by a section of political leaders that there could be a plot to extend Uhuru’s hold on power.

The President is due to leave office after his two five year terms in 2022 when there will be a general election to pick his successor. But there are indications the BBI may have a political space for him should the Executive be expanded.

Uhuru himself lightheartedly hinted at last weekend’s meeting with Mt Kenya leaders at Sagana State Lodge that he wouldn’t mind taking up a leadership position should it be created.

The President gave further insinuation that the Executive could be expanded after Garissa Senator Yusuf Haji-led team announced the Tuesday release of the report.

But the remarks by Martha Karua (Narc Kenya) and Emurua Dikkir MP Johana Ng'eno - among other politicians allied to  Ruto - signal the long road ahead for the handshake proponents in their bid to shore support for the report.

Karua advised the President – as a brother – not to take the bait of extending his term beyond the current period saying such a move would be unconstitutional.

“The term limit is to ensure that nobody presides over a government for more than two terms. If you are to amend the Constitution and get a Prime Minister position, who is the head of government, then a person who has been President for two consecutive terms cannot be Prime Minister," the former Justice minister said.

“Those thoughts are totally unconstitutional. Let us be frank and let us not mislead each other. A good friend is the one who tells you the truth.”

Ng'eno, for his part, argued the BBI is Uhuru's brainchild and that "Raila should not be blamed should the BBI recommend the creation of a Prime Minister's post."

“Why blame Raila? This BBI thing is for Uhuru. He is the architect and he wants to extend power just the way Kagame did and just the way Museveni did,” he said in Narok.

The MP cautioned the President against trying to remain in power using “the same means as some leaders from the region.”

“This is not Uganda. If you want to extend your term, go to Uganda,” he fired.

Ng’eno further claimed that Uhuru has only two intentions with the BBI, that is "to get rid of Ruto (politically) and to extend his hold on to power".

“We will fight with BBI to death if that is his intention. We have a democracy. Why tell Uhuru he is a young person yet Obama was also young but he retired?” he asked.

 Ruto lieutenants gave their conditional support for the BBI. They promised to upset the BBI proponents should the document not meet their desired outcome.

The DP said the opinion of every single Kenyan should count "if the BBI report is to be backed."  

"Let us ignore those using threats to support the report whose content is not yet known. Every Kenyan would be given a chance to read and understand the report. That way, we would agree on how we would move forward together," the DP said.

The leaders' speeches bordered on the fear that politicians could be using the BBI to settle political scores.

Gachagua and Ichung'wa said the report should focus on addressing the most pressing challenges facing Kenyans.

“Our problem is neither political nor constitutional; our problem is economic. Our issues are about the state of tea, coffee and dairy farming, and youth unemployment,” the Mathira MP said.

Ichungwa said: "If the report will not address the challenges facing Kenyans, it will be rejected. Kenyans are more interested in development."

“I could not believe it that the BBI that was supposed to bring Kenyans together would be implemented by use of threats and exclusion,” Kuria said. 

Elsewhere, ANC leader Musalia Mudavadi said his party had already voiced its dissatisfaction over the lack of inclusivity in the formation of the BBI task force.

The push to support the BBI recommendations is “speculation, guesswork and prejudiced gerrymandering.”

“We'll wait until the report is out. We'll then analyse and take an informed position,” he said.

He added: "We want policies that allow Kenyans to directly have a say on how they are governed."

Constitutional lawyer Nzamba Kitonga, however, explained that Karua only told Uhuru “not to have unconstitutional thoughts”.

“We cannot say that he (Uhuru) cannot be a Prime Minister because it would be unconstitutional. We are not yet there. The position will certainly be made constitutional if the country is to go that way,” he explained.

Lawyer Kibe Mungai said it is premature to say the move - creating a PM post, would be unconstitutional.   

“Let us wait for the report and see if that proposal has been made. If the team will recommend the creation of Prime Minister post, then we will look at the context of the proposal,” he said.

Sources have indicated that Uhuru and Raila will receive the report at Harambee House - the venue of the handshake. Some quarters, however, indicated the venue would be State House.

Sources further indicated that the report will then be launched publicly on Wednesday at an event in Bomas of Kenya, where stakeholders will be expected to grace the occasion.

State House spokesperson Kanze Dena said she could not give details on who will attend and where the event will be hosted. “Kenyans should just wait,” she said.

Harambee House, went down history books on March 9, 2018, after Uhuru and Raila shook hands on its steps and restored peace across the country following a disputed election.

BBI was then formed to end years of hostility and the team went around collecting views on the nine issues identified as problems ailing the country.

Ndung'u Wainaina, the executive director of the International Center for Policy and Conflict, said Uhuru should not use the BBI report to sneak back to power.

“In fact, BBI is illegal. The two - Raila and Uhuru- should not use a two-man agreement to overhaul the Constitution,” he said.

Wainaina lamented that the country has a habit of disobeying court orders and the Constitution. “We remind him that the Constitution must be respected,” he added.

Cotu Secretary-General Francis Atwoli, days after the Sagana meeting, reiterated that Uhuru will be the next prime minister after his term ends in 2022.

“I said about three years ago that this country needs a constitutional amendment because those in leadership are still young to retire from politics,” he said.

He added that about six slots should be created to accommodate more leaders in government to avert skirmishes that are experienced every election year.

There have been speculations that the BBI taskforce has proposed a number of constitutional changes among them reintroduction of the Prime Minister position alongside two deputies.