• Duale, a DP Ruto ally, says he leaves office with his head held high for successfully pushing the government agenda.
• Kimunya promised to build synergy among Jubilee members to better deliver on the President's agenda.
President Uhuru Kenyatta on Monday took another decisive stride towards clearing the way for the BBI report and reconstituting the Cabinet.
In a 22-minute Jubilee Parliamentary Group meeting, the President ruthlessly removed Deputy President William Ruto’s allies from key positions in the National Assembly.
With the BBI report said to be ready and the head of state planning to reshape his Cabinet, it is understood his latest moves are intended to clear the way to realise those goals.
“The next step is now reconstitution of committees, which will quickly vet the new Cabinet. By then the BBI report will be in the House for debate and adoption by a two-thirds vote,” veteran Nominated MP Maina Kamanda told the Star.
Ruto has previously opposed the BBI, which is expected to call for expanding the Executive, and including opposition members in the Cabinet.
On Monday Ruto watched helplessly as President Kenyatta, for the second time in a month, executed one of the most brutal political purges of his allies.
The DP remained silent as the President kicked out National Assembly Majority leader Aden Duale, who has zealously pushed through the government’s agenda.
Ruto twice refused the invitation to speak during the Jubilee Parliamentary Group meeting at the KICC. The DP would later mourn his fallen lieutenant on Twitter, saying the Garissa Township MP discharged his responsibilities with “style, precision, passion and loyalty.
“My brother Aden Duale, you are a great leader. For the last eight years, you discharged your responsibilities as our party’s first Majority leader. My friend, when parliamentary history is written you will have a chapter. Mbele iko sawa na Mungu,” he tweeted.
The DP did not congratulate Duale’s successor, Kipipiri MP Amos Kimunya who was chosen by the President as the new Majority leader. He also made no mention of Eldas MP Adan Keynan, the new Jubilee coalition joint secretary.
Ruto was first invited to speak at the PG by Jubilee secretary general Raphael Tuju as the de facto second in command. He politely signalled Tuju to directly invite Uhuru.
Ruto also declined an offer from the President to say a ‘word’. “William do you have anything to add?” Uhuru was reported to have prodded. The DP shook his head.
There is growing disquiet in the DP’s camp that he has accepted being a spectator to the political bloodbath of his loyal foot soldiers.
Most of his allies from the Rift Valley skipped the meeting.
During the State House PG on June 2, Ruto also followed the proceedings helplessly as Uhuru read the riot act and eventually unleashed his sword, taking down two of his ardent allies.
Mumias East MP Benjamin Washiali and his deputy Cecily Mbarire (nominated) were axed as majority whip and deputy majority whip respectively.
Before, Tharaka Nithi Senator Kithure Kindiki, another key Ruto ally from Mt Kenya East, was toppled as Senate Deputy Speaker.
Earlier, Elgeyo Marakwet Senator Kipchumba Murkomen and his Nakuru counterpart Susan Kihika had been chopped from their positions as majority leader and majority whip respectively.
“The DP is the General, and we have been fighting for him. I can’t understand how a General can abandon his troops and remain silent when they are being purged the way we have seen in Jubilee Party,” former Sports CS Rashid Echesa recently lamented.
During Monday’s meeting, Uhuru once again said he would only endorse for the presidency in 2022 someone who will complete his legacy.
Surprisingly, Uhuru told the MPs he has no problem with Ruto.
“There are some of you who are angling to be leaders and I am still in office. You just continue,” he said, and lashed out at people whom he said had characterised the 2022 presidential contest as a battle of the rich versus the poor.
“There are some of you calling me dictator. I am not a dictator...Anyway, those of you who want us to work, let’s work, those who want politics, continue,” he is reported to have said.
The latest changes have signalled even a major shakeup in the Cabinet where the President has absolute powers to hire and fire.
Duale has been majority leader, one of the most influential and powerful positions in Parliament, since 2013.
Kimunya, who replaced him, served as minister and deputy leader of government business in the 10th Parliament.
In a bid to appease the Somali community and the Northeastern region, the President crossed over from Garissa to Wajir and picked Keynan as the new Jubilee coalition joint secretary.
Keynan is expected to fill Duale’s shoes by leveraging on the plum position to fortify Uhuru’s foothold in the region’s politics.
Keynan, a former ODM man, also serves as a member of the Parliamentary Service Commission.
He is expected to be the new link between the opposition and Jubilee MPs in the House and would be required to occasionally lobby for bipartisan approaches to push for the government agenda.
Uhuru is said to have asked by acclamation if MPs wanted the majority leader changed.
Some sources at the meeting claimed those who said NO were the majority, but Uhuru went ahead to propose Kimunya for the position.
On Monday, it emerged that the President would have all along wanted Duale fired and had personally engineered the collection of signatures for his removal. Sources said the President had only played a tactical game during the June 2 PG at State House, when he appeared to spare Duale. This was not to take long as the die had already been cast.
The other 16-committee slots, vacated by Ruto’s allies in the National Assembly, would be filled by Thursday this week.
In his statement, Duale thanked the President, the DP and the Jubilee members for giving him an opportunity to serve for the last seven years.
He said he was glad that from 2013-2020, he was able to process the agenda of the majority party effectively and in particular, oversaw the passage of more than 200 bills and 500 motions.
“But like I have said before, public positions are not to be personalised. When you are given a position you do your best and when time comes for you to leave, you leave with a smile,” Duale said.
“You can however only leave with a smile if during your years of service, you executed your duties with zeal, diligence and dedication. I am glad that today, I leave with a smile, being proud of what I was able to achieve.”
Sources said Uhuru made a last-minute change of mind to physically attend the meeting fearing that a virtual meeting from State House could be abused.
Until, 20 minutes to his arrival, there were no elaborate security plans that should fraught state functions signalling he would not attend the PG.
Technicians were also hectic in testing the virtual communication set up as MPs, who had sat by 8.45am, waited in the room.
However, a flurry of activities picked minutes to 10am, including arrival of the advance security teams and the spreading of the red carpet along the KICC corridors.
The DP, who had taken the middle seat in the podium, appeared to be caught off guard, as he was move to create space for the President in the dais.
On Monday, it emerged that the President would have all along wanted Duale fired and had personally engineered the collection of signatures for his removal.
Sources said the President had only played a tactical game during the June 2 PG at State House, when he appeared to spare Duale.
This was not to take long as the die had already been cast.
According to multiple sources, part of the decision to momentarily spare Duale was for the sake of the House’s approval of the national budget.
The 2020-21 budget was unveiled by National Treasury CS Ukur Yatani on June 11 and approved by the National Assembly last Thursday in marathon sessions.
Ironically, last Thursday, Duale religiously pushed the budget estimates tabled by the Budget and Appropriations Committee, in what would be his last assignment.
The heated debate was concluded past 9pm even as the President schemed Duale’s downfall from one of the most prestigious offices in Parliament under the 2010 Constitution.
The President’s advisers are said to have settled on the signature process as the safest route to kick out the Garissa Township MP without any political backlash.
Uhuru is said to have urged Jubilee MPs who were dissatisfied with Duale to launch a drive to collect signatures and petition the party to prompt his removal.