Uhuru, Ruto retreat to Naivasha to decide seats

[MaxShimba]

PRESIDENT-elect Uhuru Kenyatta and his deputy William Ruto will this evening start meeting elected Jubilee leaders in Naivasha to discuss how to share power in Cabinet, in the National Assembly and the Senate.

The gathering at Great Rift Valley Lodge will end on Wednesday evening but the politicians will return on Thursday morning directly to the opening of the new Parliament.

The retreat will discuss who to vote for in the elections for Speaker and deputy Speaker in the National Assembly and Senate as well as the shape of the proposed Jubilee government including the Cabinet.

Over the weekend, Uhuru and Ruto were finalising their Cabinet structure which they have promised will be representative of the face of Kenya, in line with the Jubilee manifesto.

The choice of 22 Cabinet Secretaries has been kept a secret even from their closest allies. However they have apparently agreed that each of the eight provinces will get two Cabinet slots with Rift Valley and Mt Kenya region getting an additional two slots each.
The final two Cabinet seats, sources claim, are to likely to go to Charity Ngilu and Najib Balala, partners of the coalition who lost in the elections.

The two had an agreement with Uhuru and Ruto and which would see TNA and URP each cede one seat in the Cabinet to accommodate them.

Article 152 of the Constitution states that the Cabinet is to comprise of the President, the Deputy President, the Attorney General, not fewer than fourteen and not more than twenty two Cabinet Secretaries.

Insiders say that Jubilee wants to meet the constitutional requirements for balancing gender and region, as well as introducing a new more youthful crop of leadership.

TNA is likely to take up the dockets of Security, Finance, Foreign Affairs, Youth, Transport, Immigration and Education. URP is likely to take up Water and Irrigation, Energy, Sports, Health, Communication, Agriculture, Roads and Public Works.

The Committee for the Assumption to the Office of the President has prepared a plan on how to merge the existing related ministries and restructure ministerial functions.

Uhuru and Ruto are also keen to ensuring that their numbers in Parliament will allow them to effect strategic decisions. The Naivasha retreat will also focus on how the coalition can reaches out to smaller parties to ensure that Jubilee takes up the position of Leader of Majority and Chief Whip in Parliament.

The retreat will also discuss strategies for Jubilee to get the leadership of the various committees in Parliament. Under the constitution, house committees will be very powerful as the link between the National Assembly and the executive.

Committee chairmen in particular will have immense powers as government business will be directed through them. The Jubilee coalition is assuming that the Supreme Court will reject the petition by Cord presidential candidate Raila Odinga challenging the declaration of Uhuru as president-elect.

There was intense lobbying over the weekend before the swearing in of senators and National Assembly members on Thursday. Kenneth Marende, Speaker of the last Parliament, will be challenged by former MPs Justin Muturi and Abdikadir Mohammed for the position of Speaker in the National Assembly. Other seeking the position are Machana Mokua, Migundo Winja, Harrison Mwangi, Cosmas Koech and Jacob Kithinji.

Uhuru, Ruto retreat to Naivasha to decide seats | The Star

 

[MaxShimba]

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President-elect Uhuru Kenyatta and his deputy William Ruto Wednesday told MPs from Jubilee coalition they will bank on their support to fulfill the ambitious promises made during campaigns.

The two leaders, whose win is subject of a Supreme Court challenge, told the MPs-elect at the Great Rift Valley Lodge, that the coalition won the March 4 General Election.

“The Jubilee government won majority Members of the National Assembly, majority Senators, majority county women representatives, and the majority county representatives, it is only logical that we won the presidency,” said Mr Ruto.

“Be that as it may, we are law-abiding citizens, we have submitted ourselves to the court and are sure that truth, fairness and justice is going to prevail."

Mr Ruto said the incoming government has the historic mandate of implementing the Constitution and transforming the country, especially, through devolution, as soon as their victory is confirmed by the courts.

“We’re committed to changing the country for good so that the electorate can have faith for voting in leaders who have the country at heart,” said Mr Ruto.

Mr Kenyatta said he was ready to work with the MPs-elect as soon as the Supreme Court does its job.

“I look forward to working with you as a disciplined executive working with a disciplined parliament,” said Mr Kenyatta.

“When you see us going wrong, call us, let’s talk. When we see you going wrong, we’ll tell you, listen to us. I look forward to listen to you once some six people decide. What(ever) they’ll decide we’re ready. We hope that you are ready," said Mr Kenyatta.

Stick together

Mr Kenyatta asked the MPs who served in the last Parliament and were re-elected to raise their hands. He then told the new MPs that they should stick together and implement what they promised, if they expect to be re-elected in the next polls.

“The bulk of us went home in the last elections because they forgot to deliver the promises to the people. When we campaigned, we campaigned as a team. We won. After three months, you start hearing a new vocabulary of “this is how I did it” or “I am here because of what I did”…we are a team, we must remain united,” said Mr Kenyatta.

“If we were to be true students of history, the “we” that you went to the people with, remains the “we” that we shall focus the next five years together. Nobody is going to do that alone, together we’ll do it. Let’s cure that illness,” said Mr Kenyatta.

The President-elect said the MPs should not be pre-occupied with making headlines in newspapers and in the media.

“Do not focus on the antics. Surely Kenyans are not going to live from the headlines. What they will benefit from is our words. We will benefit from you in Parliament. Let’s talk. If we are available, nduru ya nini. Let the nature of politics be delivery on pledges and promises,” the President-elect told the 221 MPs.

- Daily Nation