And we go behind the scenes to, for the first time, tell the inside
story of how the President and the Prime Minister ignored the
hardliners in their parties, to strike a deal that could see the
coalition back on track after the failed Kilaguni talks.
It took at least five calls and visits by US President Barack Obama
Administration representatives to bring the squabbling coalition
principals to face-to-face talks to resolve their intractable
differences. And matters came to a head when State Secretary Hillary
Clinton wrote to the two on the need for the coalition to stick
together and fast-track key reforms under Agenda Four.
The letter to the President was delivered on Wednesday, hours before the principals held unscheduled talks.
As pressure mounted, the principals moved to convene a meeting of the
Permanent Committee on the Management of Grand Coalition Affairs the
following day at Harambee House.
Our sources said the Prime Minister was given the message contained in
the letter that Wednesday, but received the actual letter yesterday
morning, from US Ambassador Michael Ranneberger, who also delivered
Kibaki's.
It is during the talks that the principals, showing a more purposeful
sense of direction and leadership, brushed aside obstacles placed on
the way by their aides and allies.
Cabinet meeting postponed
Our sources revealed until minutes to the Wednesday evening meeting,
the PM had maintained that he would not meet the President unless a
scheduled Cabinet meeting was postponed, and a meeting of the Kilaguni
team reconvened, instead.
When the two finally met at Harambee House after the President agreed
to postpone the Cabinet meeting, it was an anti-climax of sorts.
After a chat between the two principals on the plight of IDPs and the
need to resolve the problem once and for all, the two leaders got into
the sticky issue of the management of the coalition.
The Prime Minister said there was no need holding a Cabinet meeting at
which people would only be shouting at each other. He said the parties
needed to iron out issues before the Cabinet could meet.
The President wanted to know from Mr Francis Muthaura, the Head of
Public Service and Secretary to the Cabinet, who was present, whether
the coalition team was ready.
Muthaura cut short
But Muthaura said the meeting was not necessary, adding the groundwork
had not been done. Our sources say Muthaura was cut short when the PM
said it did not require groundwork, and the President put it tacitly:
"Let's have the meeting."
"The President chastised his party, saying members were creating a
mountain out of a molehill. He was emphatic when they came to issues of
the PM's protocol, saying Raila deserved a higher protocol and even
moved on to the issue of the PM's salary," the source said.
The President said it was for the Tribunal reviewing MPs' salaries to recommend to the House how much the PM should earn.
"This is a closed chapter. Raila should enjoy his status as an equal partner in the coalition," the President said.
Caught off guard, Muthaura, who had kicked off the debate on salaries,
said the media misquoted his presentation to the tribunal.
The two quickly agreed that a team be formed to draw an agenda for discussion by coalition partners on Wednesday night.
The President appointed Muthaura to represent him while the PM tasked
his administrative secretary Caroli Omondi to hold brief. The two were
asked to come up with agenda of the coalition meeting and take it back
to their bosses that night.
Fast-tracking reform agenda
On the agenda was the guiding principles and institutional framework
for managing the affairs of the Grand Coalition, fast-tracking the
National Reform Agenda under the National Accord and Executive
appointments.
"While in Muthaura's office drawing the agenda, the pair was joined by
presidential advisors Kivutha Kibwana, Raphael Tuju, Government
spokesman Alfred Mutua and Sam Mwale who quickly threw more spanners
into the works," says a source who could not be named, as they are not
authorised to speak to the Press.
Tuju, however, excused himself, saying he was there on a separate
mission. Mutua insisted that ODM wanted to sack people and renegotiate
the accord, saying that is what the party meant by its agenda item on
management of coalition.
Mutua and Kibwana wanted to know what ODM meant by political
appointments, which the party was insisting should be shared equally.
A meeting that had ended with little fuss between the PM and the
President was degenerating into a vicious contest at the Office of the
President, now in the absence of Kibaki and Raila.
Omondi said political appointments are jobs given out not through interviews with the PSC, but by Executive order.
"It is a tradition across the world that every new administration makes
certain appointments based on understanding that they understand and
support the administration's position on certain issues and would speed
up their implementation," he said.
Standoff over appointments
To end the standoff over political appointments, Mwale proposed that they use Executive instead of political appointments.
When the matter featured at the Thursday meeting of the entire
committee, the President and the Prime Minister agreed with ease that,
there are political appointments in government and there should be away
of formalising this between him and the PM.
It was also agreed that a joint secretariat, to be funded by the
Exchequer, be formed headed by Miguna Miguna (ODM) and Kibwana (PNU).
It was also agreed that the PM be consulted and his concurrence sought
in civil service, military and parastatals postings.
Raila set ball rolling
However, modalities for consultation were yet to be worked out.
Our sources say Raila set the ball rolling when he wrote to the
President on Tuesday on the need for the coalition partners to discuss
and agree on issues under the Agenda Four of the National Accord.
"I am writing for and on behalf of the ODM to express the urgent need
for the Grand Coalition partners to discuss thoroughly and agree on the
(i) immediate steps to be taken to advance the national reform agenda
as embodied in Agenda Number Four of the National Accord and (ii) the
modalities and framework for managing the affairs of the Grand
Coalition," Raila stated.
And in his reply the same day, the President concurred with his
co-principal that there was need for both parties to commit themselves
to reforms.
"I agree with you on the need to fast-track the reforms we have
committed ourselves to, especially the Agenda Number 4 of the Grand
Coalition," said Kibaki.
He added: "My side of the coalition and I are determined to work with
you and the ODM partners to fast track this agenda," Kibaki wrote.
Kibaki at the same time invited Raila to his office on Wednesday so
that, "We both reflect on this matter to agree on the way forward".
At centre of their discussion were the thorny issues of the need to
hold another meeting for the permanent committee of the management of
the Grand Coalition affairs and the scheduled Cabinet meeting.
"The two principals agreed that it would be rational to try and bond
the two partners through the permanent committee meeting than facing a
hostile Cabinet," said a source that declined to be named because of
the nature of his job.
The Standard
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