Inside a tense Broad-Based parliamentary group meeting that led to a walkout by Mt Kenya MPs in defence of Kindiki

What was supposed to provide a solution to the woes surrounding the Broad-Based Government, where ODM has pressured the ruling UDA to give the running-mate position to one of its members, escalated into a walkout after disgruntled leaders from the Mt Kenya region protested in defence of Deputy President Kithure Kindiki.

Those who attended Monday’s meeting revealed how outbursts by Kisii Governor Simba Arati angered a section of MPs, who staged a walkout to protest what they described as the humiliation meted out to Kindiki.

According to Gatundu South MP Gabriel Kagombe, the MPs felt that Arati’s attitude was condescending towards Kindiki and, by extension, the rest of the Mt Kenya region leaders.

“In jest, Arati said, ‘wakati wa kufanya kazi umeisha, sasa ni wakati wa kutafuta kura’, as he maintained that the Deputy Presidency post belonged to ODM. He made the remarks in front of the President as Kindiki watched helplessly. We felt disgruntled and left the meeting in a huff but later went back to the meeting,” the MP revealed.

He said it was distasteful for the ODM leader to have an overbearing attitude towards the second-in-command by claiming that his time to work for the Government was over.

The MP disclosed that pro-government leaders who support the President had issued an ultimatum that they must also be represented at the national bargaining table, warning that if the mistreatment continued, they would seek other like-minded political players to form a coalition of equals.

“We must be represented at the table. We cannot be, uh, giving support and we are not at the table. If we aren’t, we have no option than calling it quits because we are in politics and politics is about interests. If we feel that our people are not being represented properly on that side of government, then we have no option but to try somewhere else,” the MP said.

He maintained that the Mt Kenya region could not be ignored in the formation of a coalition and that nothing prevented the region from entering negotiations with other political players who would treat it as an equal partner.

Multiple sources disclosed to **The Standard** how other parties that formed the Kenya Kwanza administration had expressed dissatisfaction with what they described as the bravado displayed by their ODM counterparts, especially when one of them rose to speak during the ongoing retreat.

“They are treating other members of the Kenya Kwanza administration as outcasts, as if we do not belong to the Government. This is one of the main issues that may break our union with President Ruto,” an MP said.

According to the MP, ODM leaders kept undermining Mt Kenya leaders, claiming that they had joined the Government to replace them because their people had abandoned President Ruto.

Other than the Deputy Presidency post, ODM has pushed for a clear stake in the coalition’s top leadership structure, half of the Cabinet Secretary positions and half of government parastatal appointments. The demands have sparked discomfort and protests among some UDA members, who feel they have not been treated as equals.

ODM further wants all its strongholds protected from UDA forays  as part of its irreducible minimums in the talks.

Some of the major concerns among pro-Ruto leaders in Mt Kenya, as well as Prime Cabinet Secretary and Ford Kenya leader Moses Wetang’ula, are that should UDA concede to ODM’s demands, their positions would be at risk because they would not be represented at the negotiations table.

Kindiki is one of the deputy party leaders of UDA, but since he does not have a party of his own, his interests would only be represented by Ruto’s appointees.

Likewise, Mudavadi would not be at the negotiations table after he folded his party and joined UDA. As a result, his former deputy and Lamu Governor Issa Timamy was picked to deputise Ruto alongside Kindiki.

Additionally, National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang’ula, who is Ford Kenya’s party leader, could lose his position since the pre-coalition talks would focus on the two parties.

Speaking during the retreat, Ruto noted that despite ODM and the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) being political competitors, they had come together for the sake of the country.

He explained that political competition should never be a reason to divide the country.

“Yes, we must have different points of view, but bottom line: we belong to one nation. If Kenya succeeds, we succeed irrespective of our political sides. If Kenya does not succeed, it doesn’t succeed for all of us,” he said.