Without Muthaura Raila is ruling Kenya

Francis Muthaura is an incapacitated man. As the Permanent Secretary in the Office of the President, the Secretary to the Cabinet and the Head of the Public Service, he is an extremely powerful man. But his health has let him down and he had to be flown to South Africa for an urgent heart surgery followed by an inevitable bed rest that has kept him away from his office for well over a month. Meanwhile Prime Minister Raila Odinga, apparently with the full backing of President Mwai Kibaki, has moved in full force to reduce Muthaura to his proper protocol size of a civil servant who is obviously quite subordinate to the Executive Prime Minister.

The move was celebrated by an astounding pomp and pageantry of public launching of the Strategic Plan for the Office of the Prime Minister 2009-2012. Spearheaded by no less a person that President Mwai Kibaki himself, the fanfare that marked the occasion was an elaborate endorsement by the Head of State of the of Raila’s undisputed Constitutional powers to guide Kenya through the most sensitive endeavors since the establishment of a coalition Government. The only person who would have challenged the constitutionality of the whole exercise is Francis Muthaura, who, very soon, is about to be relegated to the position similar to that of the Permanent Secretary in the Office of the Prime Minister, Dr. Mohammed Isahakia.

Though The Standard newspaper saw the whole exercise as a clever move by Kibaki to set political traps for Agwambo, Raila clearly explained during the launch of the plan, that he had directed his officials to draw up a Strategic Plan that gave Kenya the strongest possible opportunity to make sure serious reforms took place. He explained that it all started with his Constitutional mandate of coordination and supervision of the operations of Government. In view of what many people thought about Government, that was a huge task which he took “very seriously”. He further elaborated that the quality and efficiency of Government affected Kenya’s prosperity. It also influenced how the people cared for each other, and the services were received. According to the Prime Minister the citizens needed to know that Government was there for them when they needed it most. This was why it was so important that the public sector worked smoothly and effectively.

Could The Standard Newspaper by any chance be correct in suggesting that Kibaki wanted to make “political minced meat” out of Raila through the plan? Is it possible that all of a sudden the President is outmaneuvering Kenya’s most reputable political acrobat in living history? After all Raila has always outsmarted the Gema group led in the Raila-Kibaki Government by Muthaura. Agwambo himself does not agree and he does not mice his words. He openly told the country: “His Excellency the President and I share the conviction that Kenya can be a more prosperous, unified and secure nation. We stand together in wanting a government and public service that works well for Kenyans and that steers us towards the aspirations set out in Vision 2030. As the President and I stand together, the Nation must stand together -- in unity and harmony.”

Those words must have hurt a lot of people who have always benefited from the political differences between Kibaki and Raila. Since the President’s visit to Nyanza where he virtually endorsed Raila’s Presidency, the working relationship between the two leaders has drastically changed. Today Agwambo tells the country in the presence of the President that he will endeavour to make sure “that there will be enough food to eat, decent housing for our people, a sustainable environment, enough water to drink, energy, modern roads, railways and ports to grow our economy; and, above all eliminate corruption and insecurity which threaten to poison our society and to tarnish our reputation around the world.” Wow!

These are not words of a politician campaigning to get elected. There are words of a leader planning to develop his country at whatever cost. When Kibaki takes a backseat and let Raila run the show, it clearly indicate that the Nyanza Declaration to hand powers to Jaramogi’s son is practically being implemented now. Enemies of Raila-Kibaki plans will shout loudly to try and change the trend but the undercurrent is just too powerful for them. The Kibaki-Raila political plan is a tsunami which will sweep a lot of people into permanent political oblivion very soon.

The eight priorities listed by Kibaki and Raila as the Prime Minister’s Strategic Plan could be seen by the enemies of the two politicians as a trap to politically finish Agwambo. But any optimistic Kenyan would see them as necessary challenges for any development conscious leader. Priority Number One concerns challenge of Infrastructure which is intended to improve roads, rail links , ports and Information and Communication Technology, which according to Raila will result in better movements of food and other important goods, improving business opportunities and leading to economic growth. If Raila fulfills this goal he will be the most popular politician in East Africa because the beneficiaries will be the entire population of the region. The achievement of this goal cannot come about without the creation of many jobs which will again make Agwambo the most popular leader. Kibaki could not give Raila the responsibility to oversee the achievement of these goals with the aim of destroying him politically.

Priority Number Two concerns environment protection and climate change , which according to Raila is critical to safeguard natural resources , as is being done in Mau Forest, and other water towers, and because ecology brings the country prosperity through tourism. This is a challenge which has unfortunately been politicized by the Kalenjin Members of Parliament because very important people from that community, including the former President Daniel arap Moi, have illegally allocated themselves huge junks of land by destroying the forest. Now they don’t want to be told to get out of the forest even though the consequences can be seen by the entire country.

When , rather than if, Raila succeeds in moving the illegal settlers out of Mau he will make a few political enemies from among the Kalenjin tycoons, who illegally grabbed the forest and destroyed it. The rest of the country will consider Agwambo a true nationalist and the political mileage he will get from that is an assured two term seat at the State House. He is very aware of this fact and that is why he proudly says he is willing to pay “the political price” that will accompany the evacuation of the squatters at the Mau forest. When tourism prospers as a result of climatic change, Raila will always be remembered down at the Coast and among the Maasai communities.

Priority Number Three concerns upgrading slums and informal settlements which according to Raila will ensure that all Kenyans have decent housing. The Prime Minister happens to be the MP who represents people in the poorest habitats. They voted for him from their ramshackle homes. The people of Kibera can today see wonderful houses being built for them. As usual some corrupt characters are trying to use the legal system to try and stop the legitimate slum dwellers from moving into the new houses. Needless to say, that will be done over Agwambo’s dead body. Knowing that his political future depends on eliminating slums from Kenya, the Prime Minister will spare no efforts to grab the chance of upgrading slums in Kenya. His political enemies will see that challenge as a trap to finish him politically, but there is very little doubt that he will soon prove them wrong.

Priority Number Four concerns food security which Raila says will make sure that no Kenyan goes hungry for lack of planning of or distribution. According to the Prime Minister, Kenya has the knowledge and skills to prevent recurring maize crisis and the talent will be mobilized. Food, or lack of it, is always a political bomb and when it explodes heads always roll. No one knows that better that Raila, who recently was almost shouted down at Kibera when every word he uttered was drowned by shouts of “unga!” Naturally Raila knows hungry people can be angry mobs; but when he is given the responsibility of feeding the hungry he can easily turn the anger into very useful votes. Rather than trap him, Kibaki has given Raila all the votes he needs to become the next President after 2012, by giving him the responsibility to feed the hungry.

Priority Number Five concerns improving Governance and fighting corruption which, according to Raila, is the real power. Every time Raila has asked for more powers, he was dying to punish the corrupt in Kenya. Believing that the country’s resources belong to all Kenyans, Raila has been given by Kibaki the key to jailhouses in Kenya where he will pile up all the corrupt people who have so far been untouchable sacred cows. Raila knows that is the way he to win the love and the popularity of the underdogs of Kenya who are his voters. By giving him the responsibility to improve governance and end corruption in Kenya, Kibaki has actually handed Raila the key to State House.

Priority Number Six concerns the implementation of Kofi Annan’s Agenda Four which is Raila’s pet subject. It concerns Constitutional, institutional reforms, land reforms, poverty inequality and regional imbalance, unemployment, particularly among the youth, consolidation of national cohesion and unity, transparency, accountability and impunity. In other words, all the things Kenyans have been crying for. If Raila has the powers to get them for the people of Kenya what reason will they have to reject him in 2012?

Priority Number Seven concerns youth employment, popularly known as Kazi kwa Vijana Programme. According to Raila the youth of this country are the future. The success of Kazi kwa Vijana programme must be sustained and replicated. Anybody who can get jobs to the young people of Kenya is sure to get their votes in the next elections. Kibaki has just given Raila that chance.

Priority Number Eight concerns transformation of public service which according to Raila underpins the achievement of these priorities. He says the Public Service must be exemplary in supporting Government and in serving citizens. As he prepares to oversee the implementation of the eight goals he actually takes over all the responsibilities of Francis Muthaura; and to make matters worse, he does so with the full backing of Mwai Kibaki.

Raila admits that this is an ambitious plan. According to him it would take hard work and commitment to working together across the Government and with all of the stakeholders, to achieve success. “In all priority areas the Government will move forward as one, measuring and reporting progress in making Kenya and its citizens stronger and more prosperous,” he says. His enemies must be wondering how he will do it. The Cabinet has already cleared 250 billion shillings to build Kenya. This time Raila and Kibaki mean business. And they have the international backing!