PROPONENTS: Nyali MP Hezron Awiti, Mombasa Senator Hassan Omar and Cord leader Raila Odinga in Likoni, Mombasa yesterday. Photo Andrew Kasuku
THE Jubilee Coalition has developed a broad-based strategy to clip governors' wings in order to foil the looming twin-referendum championed by the county chiefs and the Opposition.
Part of the political game plan is to isolate vocal governors for allegedly teaming up with Opposition chief Raila Odinga to bring down President Uhuru Kenyatta's administration.
Already, both National Assembly Majority Leader Aden Duale, his Senate counterpart Kindiki Kithure and other Jubilee field commanders have kicked off the anti-plebiscite campaign, insisting “the father and mother of the referendum is Cord”.
“If you were elected on a Jubilee ticket, and you are supporting calls for the referendum then you want to work with Raila and Kalonzo,” Duale said over the weekend.
“So you will have to leave our party to join the Cord referendum bid,” he asserted.
Citing the Political Parties' Act, Duale warned that governors interested in supporting the proposed plebiscite should relinquish their seats as either TNA or URP elected leaders.
“Jubilee governors who have decided to join Raila Odinga and the Cord Coalition to undermine Uhuru Kenyatta, we want to tell them it's your democratic right, but, please, in 2017 don't come to us for a TNA or Jubilee ticket,” Kindiki said in a separate event.
Elgeyo Marakwet Senator Kipchumba Murkomen, another close confidant of Deputy President William Ruto's, also warned they will not allow their governors to assist the Opposition to build up a momentum for the 2017 polls.
“A referendum is a political process. It's a process of consolidating political gains,” cautioned Murkomen.
“In 2005, the referendum gave birth to ODM, in 2010 the referendum gave birth to URP. We are asking Isaac Rutto; which Coalition do you want to bring forth with your referendum and Raila?”
But governors have vowed not to blink this time, rubbishing the alleged Cord link as a propaganda tool devised by the Jubilee administration to undermine their "independent" process.
"Cord is entitled to their own ideas. It's a political party. Ours is a bipartisan move to strengthen county governments to ensure devolution succeeds," maintained Rutto, who is also the Governors' Council chairman.
As they unveiled their technical committee on Friday last week, the county bosses fought off the alleged Cord links, insisting that their process is a non-partisan move.
Nyeri Governor Nderitu Gachagua maintained that they are driving the process as governors and there is no way any of them could be disciplined thorough the party process.
“This clarion call is purely predicated on the need to adequately finance devolution for purposes of service delivery, whilst taking into account the interests of all Kenyans and has absolutely no political motivation or inclination,” he said.
Ironically, a number of governors who are part of the the steering committee pushing for the plebiscite are ardent supporters of Uhuru and Ruto.
Notable in the 15-member team are Gachagua (Nyeri), Rutto (Bomet), William Kabogo (Kiambu), Peter Munya (Meru) and Cleophas Lagat (Nandi).
During his trip to the US, Uhuru publicly pleaded with Kabogo and his colleagues to drop the push, saying there was no money to finance the referendum.
“Kabogo bwana, fikirieni hiyo kitu. Muachane na hiyo maneno,” (Kabogo, man, please think about this thing. Leave this issue alone!), Uhuru exclaimed.
Governors have listed a 10-point agenda to take to the vote, only weeks after the Opposition announced a not-dissimilar referendum which also involves protection of devolution.
The team led by Raila, former Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka and Bungoma Senator Moses Wetang'ula is set to start collecting a million signatures from Wednesday this week.
They have identified a broad six-point agenda under which their amendment initiative will be formulated.
These are devolution, land reforms, electoral reforms, exclusivity and equality, fighting corruption and enhancing security.
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