President Kibaki addresses wananchi at Kenyenya in Gucha District, on Tuesday. [PHOTO: JAMES KEYI/STANDARD] .
By Standard Team
Questions were last night being asked about President Kibaki’s motive in warning disgruntled Cabinet ministers to shut up or quit Government, or face the sack altogether.
Political analysts believe the warning could be a precursor to impending sackings or realignment, considering that none has taken place since the formation of the Grand Coalition Government last year.
In a swift departure from his disinterest in public debates, President Kibaki moved to assert his authority by sternly warning those in Government to shape up or ship out.
Kibaki also moved to distance himself from the post-election violence that hit the country early last year, elements of which had allegedly been orchestrated from State House, Nairobi.
But he spared the heaviest brickbats for the bickering Cabinet ministers whom he threatened to sack if they did not resign.
"If you are a minister and you are dissatisfied with the Government, you either quit, be quiet or I will show you how to leave," said Kibaki.
Without mentioning names, the President said he was angered by ministers who have been complaining about the Grand Coalition, without offering any solutions.
"They remain silent during Cabinet meetings, but rush to complain to wananchi about the running of the Government," said an upset Kibaki.
The President was speaking at Keroka Township, yesterday, at the start of his two-day tour of Kisii, Gucha and Nyamira, during which he commissioned the recently tarmacked Keroka-Nyangusu Road.
But political analysts Mutahi Ngunyi and Paul Mwangi believe the prevailing circumstances have goaded the President to action and Kenyans could see the "real" Kibaki.
Ngunyi suggested that Kibaki is an "extremist" who does not know how to "walk the middle path." If he continues like this, he added, Kenyans are likely to see a "draconian" Kibaki as we move forward.
On his part, Mwangi says it must have dawned on the President that "things are getting out of hand" and unless he regains control he could soon find himself "without a Government."
However, Mwangi believes the President’s terse warning could have been delivered with the tacit approval of Prime Minister Raila Odinga as an indication of impending sackings to quell dissent.
Mwangi says Kibaki has been facing wrangling within the PNU camp for some time, while the dissent within ODM has exploded and Raila may not mind enlisting Kibaki’s support.
"Kibaki is moving to assert his authority. He has realised soon the coalition could be a boxing match," Mwangi said.
However, another political analyst, Prof Larry Gumbe, saw it differently: "Kibaki is reading the script from other African countries. He spoke on the day Madagascar coup took place because citizens were protesting. The same has happened in Niger and Guinea Bissau."
"Ministers have been talking at cross purposes and rules of collective responsibility thrown out of the door. The statement was long overdue," Prof Gumbe said.
Kibaki yesterday said some of the disgruntled ministers had failed to initiate reforms in their ministries.
"Mtu kama huyu tumfanyie nini? Si kufuta kazi tu? (What do we do with such a person? Shouldn’t he/she be fired?" said Kibaki.
Under the National Accord, the President and Prime Minister would have to consult before sacking a minister.
The PM has not publicly expressed such frustrations, although a number of ODM ministers have grumbled about being shortchanged in the distribution of Civil Service jobs.
In apparent reference to ODM MPs who have openly expressed concern over the running of the Grand Coalition, Kibaki said that all was well and that the power sharing arrangement would go full term.
The President has ominously been silent as ODM and PNU ministers tore at one another over the running of the coalition.
Kibaki’s visit to Kisii comes when his Government has continued to come under criticism for underperforming. Religious leaders fired the first shot last month when they told the President and the PM to their face that they were not doing enough to fight hunger and corruption.
Achieved nothing
Soon after that, a survey conducted by the Steadman Group showed that 70 per cent of Kenyans believed that the Grand Coalition Government had achieved nothing in its first year.
Another political analyst, Prof Edward Oyugi of Kenyatta University, says Kibaki is under pressure from the international community and the civil society amid the worrying situation of a broke government and may be trying to deflate attention.
"Kibaki is trying to keep a finger on the challenges affecting the Government," Prof Oyugi said.
In his speech yesterday Kibaki said: "We will continue although some people are making a lot of noise. These people are making noise yet they are in the Government," he said adding, "What do these people want us to do? Hakuna! (nothing) he said.
There were light moments when the President said: "These people don’t talk in Cabinet meetings and then they come to you with complaints. Wanafikiri nyinyi ni pumbafu sana (They think you are very gullible?)".
The President later commissioned the 29km Keroka-Nyangusu road built at a cost of Sh998 million.
Roads Minister Franklin Bet said the road was among several projects already rehabilitated in Nyanza.
Earlier Public Works minister Chris Obure, an ODM stalwart, said his party would not quit the coalition. "We are in the Government stay. We do not have any plans to leave," said Obure.
Obure, Internal Security Minister George Saitoti and Assistant ministers Dr Wilfred Machage and Omingo Magara criticised politicians already campaigning for the 2012 presidential elections.
Earlier, President Kibaki said he was not "personally responsible for the post election violence" that rocked the country in December 2007 and early last year.
Kibaki said he should not be blamed for the chaos that caused loss of life, displacement of thousands of people and destruction of property worth millions of shillings.
Falsehoods
"There have been falsehoods peddled around over those allegedly responsible for post election violence. We have heard and read in the media, but the truth of the matter is that I had nothing to do with the chaos," Kibaki said.
Speaking at Chebilat trading centre in Sotik constituency before proceeding on his tour of the larger Kisii districts, Kibaki said ordinary people only fought amongst themselves.
"People did not come from Kibaki’s backyard to cause chaos here. It is you local people who are responsible for the incitement, killings and destruction of property", he said in respect to the clashes that rocked the region.
Human rights lobbies documenting electoral mayhem alleged some retaliatory attacks were planned at State House, Nairobi, claims that were immediately refuted by Government officials. It is the first time that Kibaki has spoken on the issue.
– Reporting by John Oywa, Robert Nyasato and Vitalis Kimutai
