africanpress.in

The fate of Cabinet ministers implicated in corruption appeared to be sealed on Saturday with Prime Minister Raila Odinga saying that he and President Kibaki had agreed to crack the whip.

Mr Odinga spoke in the face of intense pressure from the Church, diplomats, civil society and politicians to get rid of ministers and other top government officials implicated in corrupt deals.

He spoke three days after the President issued sack threats against his own ministers.

“I know you think we cannot sack but we have agreed it will be done,” Mr Odinga told a crowd in Narok town on his way to Buret, where he attended a party to celebrate Mr Franklin Bett’s appointment as Roads minister.

The crowd had demanded action on people implicated in corruption.

The calls for action on corruption were touched off by the Triton oil and maize scandals, which placed Cabinet ministers William Ruto and Kiraitu Murungi on the spot.

Both ministers blamed junior officials in their ministries, but Justice minister Martha Karua waged a campaign against them, saying that ministers must take political responsibility for corrupt deals in their ministries.

A no-confidence motion against Mr Ruto in Parliament over his handling of the maize sector was resoundingly defeated.

Religious leaders from major faiths first criticised the two leaders during national prayers for victims of the Molo and Nakumatt fire tragedies at the Kenyatta International Conference Centre in Nairobi a month ago.

The National Council of Churches of Kenya this week upped the pressure on the two leaders, saying Kenyans had lost confidence in the grand coalition government. It described President Kibaki’s leadership as “moribund” and Mr Odinga’s as “ineffective”.

During his visit to Kisii on Tuesday, President Kibaki turned the heat on his ministers, saying those who criticised the government in public would be sacked.

The President wondered why ministers were complaining in public instead of raising their issues in Cabinet meetings.

On Friday, the Nation exclusively reported that the President and the PM were closing ranks in their determination to deal with rebels in the Cabinet who have publicly blamed the two leaders for failures of the coalition government.

The President’s threat to sack grumbling ministers was seen as setting the stage for imminent changes in the Cabinet, possibly in the coming weeks.

By acting against people implicated in corruption, President Kibaki and Mr Odinga will ease pressure from themselves and restored the image of the coalition government whose rating among Kenyans is at its lowest ebb.

They will also try to demonstrate that they are in charge of the grand coalition.

According to the National Accord signed by President Kibaki and Mr Odinga that paved the way for the coalition government, ODM ministers can only be sacked by President Kibaki after consultations with Mr Odinga.

Addressing rallies in Narok town and Ololunga in Narok South yesterday, Mr Odinga said he had agreed with the President that ministers implicated in graft, which has haunted the coalition government, ruined its image and affected the lives of Kenyans, will be fired.

Mr Odinga said that he and President Kibaki were in control of the government and hinted that Home Affairs assistant minister Beatrice Kones could benefit from the impending reshuffle.

Mr Odinga said that he had appointed Mrs Kones, the Bomet MP, assistant minister as a “warm- up for bigger things”.

Mrs Kones is the widow of former Roads minister Kipkalya Kones who died in a plane crash last year together with Sotik MP Lorna Laboso, who was Home Affairs assistant minister.

And, speaking in Magadi on Saturday, Internal Security minister Prof George Saitoti said he supported the sacking of corrupt and grumbling ministers.

He said it was only in Kenya where ministers criticised their colleagues’ work while they, too, have their dockets under-performing.

“We cannot deliver as a united government and yet we continue tearing into each other apart in public. Every minister has an appointment letter from the President directing their work and it is, therefore, not right for one to keep talking about other ministers’ work,” said Prof Saitoti.

Former MPs Alfred Nderitu and Norman Nyagah also asked the President and the Prime Minister to move with speed and crack the whip on corrupt government officials.

“The President must crack the whip now so that his people can work. We were surprised that he is complaining in public when he should be cracking the whip,” Mr Nderitu said.

My Nyagah said that although the President “is my friend” he had failed and he must act now. The two were speaking in Kinangop on Friday.

The Prime Minister’s visit to the Rift Valley yesterday came against a backdrop of grumbling over the sharing of positions in the grand coalition government.

Although the region has five Cabinet ministers and several assistants, courtesy of ODM, some local MPs argue the posts were not enough and that the South Rift, where ODM got most votes, should have benefited more.

Ministers Ruto, Henry Kosgey (Industrialisation) and Sally Kosgei (Higher Education) come from the North Rift while Mr Bett is the only full minister from the South Rift. Sports minister Hellen Sambili is from the Central Rift.

Mr Odinga asked Rift Valley ODM supporters to continue backing the party ahead of the 2012 elections.

He reiterated that he won the 2007 elections but was denied leadership by the Electoral Commission of Kenya.

Mr Odinga said an interim electoral body will be named this week.

The new team, the PM said, will develop a new voters’ register and urged Kenyans to enrol in large numbers.

Mr Odinga said a report by a committee formed to look into ways of conserving the Mau Forest will be presented to him on Monday.

The plan has been leaked:

The three below will be axed unless something miraculous saves them!

Mr Ruto (Minister Agriculture) - M/s Karua (Minister Justice) - Mr Kiraitu (Minister Energy).

Mr Ruto and Karua are both eyeing the 2012 Presidential elections. If axed now, their chances to get to the top will become minimal. The two will be casualties of noise-making in the cabinet. Mr Ruto has another burden he is carrying. The Americans who do not like him. Mr Kiraitu is also loosing his job because of the Americans.

Making entry into the powerful Justice ministry is Mr James Orengo(below), now Lands minister and Raila confidant:

source.nation.ke

Heads set to roll in Cabinet - Raila Odinga confirms Ministers to be relieved of their duties: William Ruto, Kiraitu Murungi and Martha Karua.