Ruto, Raila ‘secret’ agenda that Azimio principals rejected

The Star has established that Raila fronted the plan on Wednesday to other Azimio principals to agree to a national dialogue that would culminate into a constitutional review.

However, other Azimio leaders, led by Wiper’s Kalonzo Musyoka, rejected the plan.

Raila met the group in a closed-door meeting in Karen on Wednesday. It was the first such meeting since his key associates accepted Cabinet slots in Ruto’s government.

The Cabinet deal has heightened speculations of a secret power plan between Ruto and Raila.

Jubilee secretary general Jeremiah Kioni told the Star Raila indeed asked them to support plans for constitutional change.

“It appears that is what they [Raila and Ruto] have discussed and agreed. The constitutional reform agenda is not what Kenyans want now,” Kioni said.

The former Ndaragwa MP told the Star they disallowed Raila's persuasion for a national conversation that would ostensibly lead to constitutional amendments.

“Baba [Raila] had that in mind. [But] we said we are not ready for that. We are not available for a national conversation. We cannot have a boardroom engagement with Ruto because Kenyans have no faith in him,” Kioni said.

“Kenyans did not ask for dialogue. Kenyans have not asked for national conversation or amending the constitution. They have simply said, implement the constitution.”

Tellingly, Raila, at the weekend, called for a return to the famous Bomas draft constitution that, among others, proposed a parliamentary system of governance.

"We must go back to the Bomas draft constitution put it back on the table and see how and what needs to be cleaned up so that we can have a progressive constitution,” the ODM boss said.

Raila has often argued that a parliamentary system of government offers Kenya’s best solution to tribalism.

“We need a parliamentary democracy where the party with the majority of MPs forms the government. It's the only way through which a person from a small community like the Maasai or Samburu can rise to power,” he argued in the past.

Kioni said Azimio principals told Raila they could only engage the President in the formation of a transition government, and not when Ruto is in charge.

A senior Wiper legislator aware of the deliberations at the meeting said Raila attempted to persuade his colleagues to agree to a dialogue to amend the constitution.

“From his submission, it is clear, that they want to amend the constitution, particularly the chapter on the structure of governance,” the vocal lawmaker said but declined to be named.

The revelations came hours after the top Azimio bosses held a behind-the-curtain meeting at SKM Centre in Karen on Wednesday.

Those present included Raila, Kioni, Kalonzo, PNU chief Peter Munya, Kanu chairman Gideon Moi and Siaya Governor James Orengo.

According to photos that circulated soon after the meeting, Narc Kenya leader Martha Karua, whose party has sought to pull out of the coalition, and DAP-Kenya boss Eugene Wamalwa, were missing.

The surprise meeting came at a time when Raila has been at loggerheads with his colleagues in the coalition following the President’s nomination of top ODM leaders to the Cabinet.

The President nominated Raila’s two deputies-Hassan Joho (Mining CS) and Wycliffe Oparanya (Cooperatives).

Ruto also nominated ODM chairman John Mbadi as National Treasury CS and National Assembly Minority leader Opiyo Wandayi as Energy CS.

Curiously, immediately after the Wednesday meeting, Raila and Kalonzo posted contradicting statements on their social media pages.

“We met today in pursuit of the national conversation agenda,” Raila posted on X, revealing the agenda of the meeting.

However, Kalonzo posted, “No National Conversation!”

The revelations trigger memories of the botched Building Bridges Initiative-driven constitutional amendment Raila and former President Uhuru Kenyatta pushed.

Interestingly, Ruto at the time vehemently opposed the drive.

Speaking at a burial in Alego Usonga on Saturday, Raila put a case for the constitutional changes in the fashion of the Bomas draft.

He said the draft was a progressive constitution but was watered down by the political class in Naivasha.

“Kenyans met at the Bomas of Kenya and deliberated for a very long time and came up with a very progressive constitution," Raila said.

"That constitution was bastardised to a certain extent during the so-called Naivasha process.” 

Raila said a national conversation to amend the constitution and eventually, the formation of a broad-based government was the way to go.

"It is the basis of that kind of elaborate process that we can then talk about a government of national unity," he said.

The Bomas draft was a product of the Constitution of Kenya Review Act enacted in 1997 during the regime of President Daniel Moi.

The draft contemplated a bicameral legislature with the Senate and the National Assembly operating on a near-equal purview.

The draft proposed the Senate to have veto powers over the National Assembly.

The Executive branch was to be led by a Prime Minister, who would be the leader of the largest political party in Parliament.

Further, the draft constitution proposed that Cabinet ministers be picked from among members of Parliament.

The draft was opposed by the then President Mwai Kibaki as an affront to the status quo.

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