Opposition chief Raila Odinga is at the tail end of inking a major political deal with President William Ruto, the Star can authoritatively reveal.
This is even as his troops in the Orange party appeared sharply divided over the power-sharing plan, whose details have caused turmoil in the Azimio la Umoja One Kenya Alliance.
The Star has established that by Thursday Raila and Ruto had agreed on four slots to be handed to ODM.
In the deal, ODM will be in charge of the powerful ministry of National Treasury and Planning.
The former Prime Minister will also be handed the ministries of Mining and Blue Economy, Energy, and Cooperatives
Other reports indicate that the full Cabinet could be announced on Wednesday.
In a telling comment, Homa Bay MP Peter Kaluma on Tuesday urged the President to move with speed and name the remaining Cabinet slots including those proposed by Raila.
“I want to congratulate the President for the appointments, but request the President that we within the week, as soon as tomorrow (Wednesday), we want to see those other appointments Baba was to forward to him,” Kaluma said.
ODM insiders intimated to the Star that ex-governors Wycliffe Oparanya and Hassan Joho, nominated MP John Mbadi and Ugunja MP Opiyo Wandayi were among the names Raila forwarded for consideration.
Raila’s troops in the Orange party were, however, on Tuesday speaking at cross-purposes over the deal that insiders claim is just a matter of time before it is made public.
Party secretary general Edwin Sifuna dismissed any political deal with the President, warning that anyone joining the broad-based government would be on their own.
“As a party, we wish to make it unequivocally clear that we are not in negotiations with the Ruto regime for any coalition or political arrangement,” Sifuna said in a statement.
“Any ODM member who makes themselves available to join the Kenya Kwanza government or any other position should know that they do so without the blessing or support of the party.”
Sifuna was, however, immediately contradicted by a section of Raila men who accused the Nairobi senator of misleading the public.
Kaluma said Sifuna’s statement contradicted the resolutions of both the ODM Central Management Committee as well as the parliamentary group meeting.
The lawmaker even threatened to push for Sifuna’s removal as the party’s secretary general for misrepresenting party’s position.
“Let me send a warning. We want to tell people sending conflicting positions from ODM to remember that they are on interim [basis] in those positions. We can remove them if we resolve a position and then they contradict it,” Kaluma said on the floor of the House.
While backing the move to join government, the third-term MP insisted all communities must be incorporated in the yet to be unveiled Cabinet.
“As a person from an ethnic community I will not agree to a position where people say everybody is in the government except Luos, yet Luos also pay taxes,” Kaluma stated.
“This must happen for we are ready to serve to ensure that Kenya moves forward.”
National Assembly Minority Leader Opiyo Wandayi also backed the inclusive government as a way of addressing equity that has been missing in the dissolved team.
“As a disciplined and loyal member of ODM, I have got no option but to abide by the decisions adopted by the party organs. There is no contradiction whatsoever when it comes to the idea of engaging in national conversations; also when it comes to engagement with Kenya Kwanza as a way of addressing national challenges,” Wandayi said.
“We have said time and again that Kenya Kwanza government has been carrying out appointments in a skewed way and this includes appointments to the Cabinet.
"There are communities that are not adequately represented, so we must as a matter of principle support any attempt to redress that anomaly because all Kenyans pay taxes.”
Whether or not to join Ruto's Cabinet has been a thorny issue in ODM and by extension Azimio.
All the other Azimio principals including Kalonzo Musyoka (Wiper), Martha Karua (Narc Kenya), Eugene Wamalwa (DAP Kenya), Peter Munya (PNU) and Jeremiah Kioni (Jubilee) have rejected Ruto's olive branch.
ODM leaders like Siaya Governor James Orengo and Saboti MP Caleb Amisi have also joined the Azimio principals in opposing the plan to join Ruto.
“I say Raila has had selfish individuals around him. Every bigwig around Baba is scrambling to join the Cabinet,” Amisi said.
“Some are even calling Ruto directly. I think we were never on the same journey. I am disappointed.”
Kalonzo's troops in Parliament sustained their opposition against the Ruto-Raila deal, insisting on Tuesday that ODM was free to join Kenya Kwanza without dragging the coalition along.
Led by Makueni Senator Dan Maanzo, the MPs numbering seven insisted that Azimio will remain intact
“Those who want to join the Cabinet are free to do so; those who want to be appointed will be vetted,” he said.
“Azimio is intact and we know people are working very hard to cause division within Azimio and bring unprecedented moves and all Azimio affiliate parties will be vetted afresh,” Matungulu MP Stephen Mule said.
Wiper secretary general Shakilla Abdalla also demanded that the Wiper leader must be respected in the coalition.
“Those who want leave should leave without dragging Azimio. Our leader Kalonzo Musyoka should be left alone and we want to thank Odinga for refusing to join the government. We are not boarding,” she said.
There has been confusion in the recent days after Raila, whose ODM party was on the verge of teaming up with Ruto, appeared to have succumbed to pressure to abandon the deal.
The former Prime Minister instead issued tough conditions for Ruto to fulfil, including abandoning the Social Health Insurance Fund, before any engagement.
Other conditions were compensation to families of victims of extra-judicial killings, amnesty for all protesters arrested, prosecution of policemen involved and sacking of Nairobi police commander Adamson Bungei.