President has to fulfil pledges after Jubilee

The ruling Jubilee Party as we know it may not be the same again. Deep rivalries and intense squabbles have pushed it to the point of no return. Differences of opinion is healthy for democracy.

Parties, which are vehicles for political mobilisation and organising, ideally promote internal democracy. They must allow divergence of opinion inasmuch as they demand loyalty and discipline among members. But for Jubilee, it is disintegration. The centre cannot hold and chaotic divorce is inevitable.

A meeting convened by President Uhuru Kenyatta at State House Monday saw a section of Jubilee senators kick out Kipchumba Murkomen and Susan Kihika, key allies of his deputy William Ruto, from crucial parliamentary positions, ostensibly for their incessant criticism of the administration. But the duo has vowed to stay put. A group of 22 senators have petitioned Senate Speaker Kenneth Lusaka over the ‘takeover’.

From the outset, it has to be acknowledged that the feuds in the party are not peculiar. Kenya’s political history is awash with such scenarios. When, for example, then-President Mwai Kibaki and opposition leader Raila Odinga entered into a pact in 2002 to form the National Rainbow Coalition, a broad alliance that would oust independence party Kanu, their camaraderie did not last.

The country has since witnessed coalitions formed and trashed every election cycle, demonstrating that these are just vehicles for contesting elections.

Which is the tragedy of our politics. Coalition or parties are personalised and operated without underlying ideologies or principles. Not surprisingly, no strong outfits have been created to last generations as we see in the established democracies, such as the United States or Britain.

For Jubilee, the point of concern is whether, with the deep divisions, it will deliver on its election pledges. It has evolved into an outfit where leaders of its various organs have become virulent critics of the government, even outdoing the opposition. Two camps have emerged, revolving around the President and the DP.

President Kenyatta has isolated four pillars he wants to develop to spur development — universal health coverage, affordable housing, manufacturing and food security — which are packaged as the ‘Big Four Agenda’. But the ruling Jubilee Party, which he leads, is emerging as a dysfunctional entity that cannot concentrate energies and achieve the set goals.

Given the constitutional imperatives, President Kenyatta is joined at the hip with Dr Ruto, even though they do not see eye to eye. Whatever the relationship, the President has to honour the pledges he made to Kenyans if he wants a footnote in history.