PRESIDENT Uhuru Kenyatta and Deputy President William Ruto have told their Jubilee coalition lieutenants in Parliament to avoid acting in a divisive manner.
The two met members of the National Assembly on Tuesday at State House and singled out devolution as one issue where Jubilee members in both houses must speak with one voice.
Uhuru and Ruto are said to be unhappy with how senator Kipchumba Murkomen, senator Kindiki Kithure, and Bomet Governor Isaac Rutto have been commenting on devolution issues.
Kindiki is the Leader of the Majority in the Senate; Murkomen chairs the Senate Committee on Devolution; while Rutto is the chairman of the Council of Governors.
Uhuru and Ruto have reportedly questioned why Kindiki, Murkomen and Rutto have publicly objected to Jubilee polices yet they are members of the parties that form the government.
The three were particularly outspoken when the President assented to the Division of Revenue Bill after the National Assembly rejected the amendments to give county governments an extra Sh48 billion.
“The two ( Uhuru and Ruto) have held several consultative meetings over the matter to find the motive behind the move by the two leaders to carry out scathing attacks on the government which they are part of,” said a source within the Presidency.
On Tuesday, Uhuru and Ruto also raised concern over the coordination of business between National Assembly Speaker Justin Muturi and Senate Speaker Ekwe Ethuro.
Ethuro has accused Muturi of undermining the role of the Senate by allowing some bills to be tabled in the National Assembly without consulting with him as required by the Constitution.
“The question is whether we have a bicameral Parliament or not. Whether the constitutional provisions in relation to the Chapter on the Legislature are worth the paper on which they are written. Unless these matters are unequivocally resolved, it is quite clear that the legislative process will remain turbulent,” Ethuro told the Senate on Tuesday.
On Tuesday, Uhuru told members of the National Assembly that he did not want to direct the legislature but asked Jubilee legislators to assist the two Speakers to create harmony.
On Monday, Ruto met Murkomen and Mandera senator Billow Kerrow in his office in attempts to iron out differences between Murkomen and the executive.
Later Murkomen told the Star that the meeting was “fruitful” and “cordial."
“There was nothing major. We just had a meeting on how the senate and the executive will cooperate together, a clear indication that we are in good terms,” he said.
Uhuru and Ruto were apparently unhappy with remarks made by Murkomen and Rutto at the Boma Hotel last month when senators and governors met to resolve the stalemate.
Murkomen and Rutto are accused of claiming that the government wants to kill devolved government as President Jomo Kenyatta abolished devolution in the 1960s.
Kindiki has been accused of misleading his colleagues on the legal provisions to guide devolution, especially on the division of revenue.
The three are also accused of being too vocal in campaigning for one million signatures to amend the constitution and give the Senate more powers.
Yesterday, Nixon Korir, former United Republic Party chairman, said that both Murkomen and Rutto are free to leave the URP if they think that the Jubilee government is not performing.
“Jubilee governemnt is hardly three months in office. We should give it time to organise itself. Sideshows that are aimed at derailing the implementation of the Jubilee manifesto are uncalled for now. If anyone is dissatisfied, they can step down and join the opposition,” he said.
“It is common to differ over opinion and interpretation of the laws but that does not mean that I do not support the Jubilee government. In fact in the floor of the House I am the chief defender of the Jubilee government, a clear indication that I am guided by its policies,” Murkomen said.
“I can tell you that our relationship with the two leaders is cordial, only some people are keen to poison our relationship by creating an unnecessary war which does not exist. They have made misguided conclusions and are very ignorant,” he said.
Isaac Rutto was not available for comment.
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