Clash looms as Mt Kenya leaders’ rift widens ahead of BBI rally
By Anthony Mwangi and Hillary Mageka
Political divisions in Mt Kenya region over the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) played out when politicians, business leaders and professionals held parallel meetings in Nairobi to rally support for the reforms push.
The groups coalescing under Mount Kenya Parliamentary Group and Mt Kenya Foundation, on Monday evening met separately at two city hotels; Panafric and Safari Park respectively.
Yesterday, the Mt Kenya Foundation chief Peter Munga and Nyandarua governor Francis Kimemia, met Opposition chief Raila Odinga at his Capital Hill offices to brief him on their resolutions ahead of the Meru BBI meeting on Saturday. The rally host, Governor Kiraitu Murungi, who was one of the governors meeting Raila, said they would be rooting for a decent and organised forum, devoid of any political divisions.
“I have heard some people say BBI is a waste of time, and as the host I am telling them not to come and waste their time in Kinoru. We do not want anyone bringing sideshows there. We want as a region to speak in one voice, very different from what we have witnessed in other regions,” he said.
At the Safari Park meeting, which attracted prominent businesspeople and other opinion shapers from President Uhuru Kenyatta’s backyard, delegates backed the proposal for a parliamentary system and creation of the post of a powerful executive prime minister, who will be elected alongside the President and his deputy.
This is contrary to the position taken by the MPs, most who are in Deputy President William Ruto-allied Tanga Tanga group, which is rooting for non-executive premier to avoid creating two centres of power.
The more than 30 MPs who met at Panafric resolved to skip future BBI rallies organised by Raila, including the Meru rally on Saturday. They said BBI meetings addressed by Raila are meant to push the Opposition leader’s agenda.
“We will not be attending meetings convened by an individual hell bent on ascending to the top seat through blackmail and violence,” said Mathira legislator Gachagua Rigathi, who spoke on their behalf.
He added: “It all started in Kisii and Kakamega where the agenda was Deputy President William Ruto, in Mombasa the talk was on ethnic divisions and balkanisation, in Kitui the Gatundu South MP was roughed up while the Narok one was the culmination of the Opposition’s agenda of dividing the country on ethnic backgrounds.”
The Safari Park meeting was attended by Cabinet Secretaries James Macharia (Transport) and Joe Mucheru (ICT). Other top government officials present, included Principal Secretaries Karanja Kibicho (Interior), Joseph Njoroge (Energy) and Joseph Irungu (Water).
Governors Kahiga Mutahi (Nyeri), Anne Waiguru (Kirinyaga), Nderitu Muriithi (Laikipia), Lee Kinyanjui (Nakuru) and Kimemia (Nyandarua) also attended. The team resolved to push for a mixed Cabinet which will consisting two thirds of Members of Parliament and a third technocrats to inject diverse expertise in the Executive.
Governor Waiguru said the Prime minister post’s should be included in the ballot but his deputies should be picked from Parliament and approved by the same House.“Our view and that of the majority is that the PM, should be powerful and not necessarily appointed by the president, and he/she should be elected with the president so that Kenyans know who will be their premier after elections,” she said.
She added: “We don’t want our prime minister nominated by the president, and subjected to Parliament because he or she can be rejected by the House.”
However, Murang’a Woman Representative Sabina Chege differed with Waiguru, saying her views were personal. “We support the BBI report and recommendations and such we also support a premier nominated from among Members of Parliament not what is being suggested by Waiguru,” she said.
Macharia said BBI will spur economic prosperity in the region in terms of proportionate allocation of resources. “We need to push as a region balanced sharing of resources and this can only be achieved if we talked in one voice,” he said.
Mucheru proposed that a roundtable meeting between industrialists, opinion shapers and the political leadership should formulate a roadmap to create jobs among the youths. “You can recall that I had been tasked by the President to jump-start the process before politicians hijacked the initiative,” he said without elaborating.
Governor Kinyanjui, who spoke on behalf of the Kikuyu in diaspora, said there is need for the government to check on hate speech being spewed by some leaders at BBI rallies. “Freedom of speech and security of property should be a key issue in the national debate, we have heard some voices which are set to incite people who have lived in harmony for ages being set against each other,” he warned.
Governor Kahiga urged the region’s leadership to seize the national debate moment and push for equal sharing of resources.
“Despite the fact that our people work hard to produce, they end up receiving very little for their efforts. It is a high time that we demand what is rightfully ours,” he said.
At the MPs’ caucus, there was concern over the encroachment of a “coterie of power brokers” on their mandate.
They, however, vowed not to surrender their mandate as elected leaders to the group and reiterated they have the capacity to organise and deliberate on issues that affect the people.
“This is the same coterie of power brokers that have consistently made our region and its people look treacherous to the rest of Kenya, yet we are elected by and represent a community of honest, hardworking and peaceful people who desire to be part of the greater vision of one united and prosperous Kenya,” read a statement by the Pan-Afric group.
