Kibaki meets ministers amid fresh impasse over cabinet creation

Kenneth Oduor,

NAIROBI, Kenya- When Mwai Kibaki and Raila Odinga signed a power deal that required them to share power equally, including both ministerial and other public service jobs, pundits clearly pointed out that signing the deal was the easier part. And now the honey moon has ended and the need for the two principals to craft a working cabinet for Kenya is becoming elusive every single day.

Kibaki and Raila have now met on three occasions to agree on the composition of the cabinet but the two leaders have failed to reach a compromise on both occasions. The disagreements have mostly been on the sharing of portfolios and the size of the cabinet. While ODM which Odinga heads is vouching for a cabinet of 34 ministers, the PNU side headed by Kibaki is for a large cabinet of 44 ministers.

“Kenyans want a lean and efficient cabinet. A large cabinet is unnecessary burden on the tax payers and is not in any way in the interest of the Kenyan people”, said Odinga when he emerged from their last meeting with Kibaki at the president’s Harambee House in Nairobi.
Political analysts reckon that the PNU side is vouching for a large cabinet to meet the demands of the many partners making it including the former ruling party Kanu. A part from advocating for a large cabinet, the PNU brigade is reluctant to relinquish the cabinet posts which Kibaki had dished out immediately after the elections.

“I think Kibaki is simply taking Kenyans for a ride. The power accord they signed with Raila is very clear on some of these issues. The mode of power sharing must be on an equal basis”, said Salim Lone who is Odinga’s spokesperson.
Some of the ministries which are at the centre of the controversy are Finance, Internal Security, Agriculture, Education, Defense and Foreign Affairs, Roads and Public Works and Immigration. These are some of the ministries whose holders wield immense power and are considered the first amongst equals.
While ODM has accepted that the PNU take the ministry of Internal Security and Defense since the include the armed forces and the Kenya police whose heads are expected to report to the president directly according to the constitution, they want PNU to cede the control of Finance, Roads and Public Works and Agriculture and the ministries of Immigration and that of Local Government.

The president held a cabinet meeting Monday with some of the 17 ministers whom HE had earlier appointed with analysts predicting that it could have been meant to tell the ministers to prepare to give up some of the ministries to ODM.
If the spirit of equitable distribution of key portfolios is to prevail, then president will be forced to disband the current cabinet and seek Odinga so that they can draft a fresh cabinet for the country together.
William Ruto and a host of other leaders allied to ODM have called for fresh elections should the two leaders fail to agree on the composition and size of the cabinet.