Raila endorses Cabinet deal as confusion deepens

Opposition Chief Raila Odinga on Thursday endorsed nomination of his key lieutenants into President William Ruto's Cabinet.

This is even as his allies in the Azimio la Umoja and ODM clashed with some saying they will never work with Ruto.

Speaking for the first time since Ruto picked his key ODM luminaries, Raila extended his best wishes to the team.

Ruto named Hassan Joho (Mining, Blue Economy), Wycliffe Oparanya (Cooperatives), John Mbadi (National Treasury) and Opiyo Wandayi (Energy and Petroleum).

“We extend our best wishes to the nominees and trust that they will contribute positively to national development,” Raila said in a statement to newsrooms.

Raila equally insisted that at least three issues must be addressed by the government including compensation of families of victims of extra-judicial killings, release of all protesters in police custody as well as termination of ongoing cases.

The ODM boss also demanded prosecution of policemen involved in shooting of peaceful protesters.

Since the unveiling of part of the all-inclusive Cabinet, Raila troops have been sending mixed signals about his rapprochement with Ruto with his allies left split in the middle.

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 however rejected the unity government.

Kalonzo on Thursday ruled out any chances of joining the Government of National Unity.

Speculation has been rife of a probability of the Wiper leader being appointed the next Attorney General.

“I may be senior counsel which is okay, maybe that's the attraction, but this guy has been vice president of the republic and has been minister in many portfolios, do you expect me to serve Ruto as Attorney General?” Kalonzo posed.

Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna has maintained the four nominees have no blessings of the party fuelling confusion around the nominations.

Sifuna said no decision has been made by any party organ approving the joining of President Ruto's government.

"As secretary general, I sit in all organs of the party and I am the spokesperson of all those organs. Kenyans just want someone to tell them the truth and there has been a lot of speculation as to the importance of what happened yesterday (Wednesday)," Sifuna said on Citizen TV.

"The truth of the matter is that there is no decision of any organ of ODM that I sit in to join the Ruto government."

Sifuna’s position was backed by some ODM legislators mainly from Western Kenya, who also disowned the nominees.

MPs Caleb Amisi (Saboti), Nabii Nabwera (Lugari), Wilberforce Oundo (Funyula) and Babu Owino (Embakasi East) insisted the decision to join the Cabinet was individual and not sanctioned by the party.

Amisi said the deal unveiled at a time Raila was out of the country is suspect, and did not have the ODM boss’ blessings.

“Anything that happened in the absence of our party leader is null and void. What happened on Wednesday were individuals who were clamouring for state jobs,” Amisi said.

According to Babu, it is betrayal to the youths in Kenya for any leader to capitalise on their push for governance to negotiate their way into government.

“No Gen Z has been nominated to the Cabinet. Those who accepted the positions, Gen Zs cannot fight for you,” Babu said.

“It pains me to see a fellow legislator joining the government at a time young Kenyans are being butchered by the same regime.”

Nabwera while admitting that the President has a free hand to pick any person to his Cabinet also said the same should be done procedurally through party structures.

“It is very unfortunate that we lost over 50 young people and before we resolve the issue of compensation we behave like vultures,” Nabii said.

“Our colleagues who have left have done so on their own volition, for us in ODM, we will remain as the minority party,” added Funyula MP Oundo.

But ODM Youth League President John Ketora refuted claims that the nomination was not sanctioned by the party.

Ketora who sits in both the ODM Central Management Committee and National Executive Committee said the decision of joining the Cabinet was conversed in the two organs and resolved.

“Go back to the resolutions of both the Central Committee as well as the NEC meeting, the issue was well conversed, we want to thank the President for the gesture and also wish our nominees well,” he said.

The youth leader was speaking in Nairobi when he addressed a press conference.