THE HANDSHAKE OF TIERS

(From Left) President Uhuru Kenyatta shaking hands with former prime minister Raila Odinga

From the outset let me agree with a number of political commentators who are busy trying to wrap their heads around the handshake between President Uhuru Kenyatta and the former Prime Minister, Raila Odinga that its unpredictability was worth it.

It is also a measure of the maturity of Kenyan politics. The handshake, without reading too much into it, sets apart the President and the former Premier as the bearers of greater responsibility towards the nation.

However, Deputy President Ruto’s allies are jittery over the assumption that with the inclusion of the ‘opposition’ chief Odinga into the fold, the road leading to the House on the Hill in 2022 may be an uphill task.

(From Left) NASA co-principals Musalia Mudavadi, Kalonzo Musyoka and Moses Wetangula

Meanwhile, the rest of the three NASA principals, to whom reality is dawning on, are at pains just at the thought that the handshake may damn their ambitious political careers to the political cold.

The handshake duo has hinted the possibility of having a 3 tier executive structure in place. This move is intended to create an inclusive government that promotes cohesion and unity for the country. It would be a retiring president’s dream to leave a legacy such as that.

A 3 tier structure posits the introduction of the Prime Minister’s position as well as the retention of the President and the Deputy’s. The prime minister could then have two deputies as a prerequisite for seamless operation of the office.

Similar but by no means same, structure was captured by the Delegates Conference of the Bomas draft constitution in 2005, with the aim of ensuring inclusivity in the governance structure. The end game here was to do away with the presidential system for a parliamentary one.

It is precedent that Raila’s handshake with Uhuru was enough to set the ball rolling on the introduction of the 3 tier system. Seeing that the foot soldiers from either camp have continuously expressed support for the handshake though cautious on the commitment levels involved.

What we cannot escape is a referendum should the 3 tier handshake materialize further. There are pertinent clauses that require a referendum for the constitutional change to be effected. The changes will be in line with Article 255 among other pieces of legislation.

Deputy President William Ruto

With a majority of presidential hopefuls deciding to give the thought a wide berth, deputy president Ruto has declared in black and white his resentment for the 3 tier system which he says is about the ‘rich’ dishing out positions for themselves to the detriment of the mwananchi.

Reservations are being expressed regarding the economic burden the 3 tier brings along. A bloated government is what we may end up with despite the president’s attempts to preach the gospel of pay cuts and drinking the wine of extravagant spending.

The battle then, may take a different dimension from that of de-ethnicizing the country to tackling the resultant wage bill.

Through my crystal ball, this handshake is one that may shake up the constitution and even end up shaking the 2022 contenders more. Clearly, this handshake couldn’t be more about 2022.