By Anderson Ojwang
The secrets behind the formation of the broad-based government between President William Ruto and the former opposition leader, the late Raila Odinga, have started to emerge.
Former Cabinet Minister Raphael Tuju, speaking on Friday at a funeral in Kasipul, told mourners that the broad-based government was formed in his house.
Tuju, for the first time, revealed how he helped facilitate the formation of the broad-based government and named the prominent figures who were involved in the discussions.
“Broad-based was formed in my house. Let anybody else deny it. Broad-based was formed where? In my house,” he said.
Tuju said the first move towards forming the broad-based government came when he and Raila held their first meeting before inviting others into the discussions.
“I can tell you those who were there. First, it was me and Raila,” he said.
After the first meeting between the two, they co-opted Joe Ager and brought others on board to advance the agenda.
“We co-opted Joe Ager. The first meeting was held in my house with then ODM Secretary Edwin Sifuna. With Joe Ager, we brought in Dr Oburu Oginga, the current ODM party leader, Junet Mohammed and Prof Adams Oloo,” he said.
Tuju said the idea of the broad-based government was based on the need to secure Kenya’s peace and avoid a hostile and violent transfer of power.
“What I want to remind everyone is, why did we get to the broad-based in the first place? As a person who has occupied public positions, I believe in peace,” he said.
Tuju said his experience as a journalist, including covering wars in Africa, convinced him that maintaining peace in Kenya was paramount, and that he and Raila converged on the same position.
“Because I know what would happen if we don’t have peace. I was in Rwanda in 1994 as a young journalist, and I saw dead bodies floating in River Kagera.
“As a young journalist, I covered Southern Sudan and Mozambique. I do not want us to get there. We would rather have even the worst government but have peace until we have an orderly transfer of power,” he said.
Tuju said he had no problem with the current political formations but was more concerned about maintaining peace.
“I have no problems with those who say two terms or one term. It is their right. I want us to have peace. I was there in the morning when I discussed with the late Raila Odinga about doing everything to make sure we have peace, and that is what the broad-based arrangement is all about,” he said.
Tuju said they were concerned about a hostile and violent transfer of power and that this informed their decision to support the formation of the broad-based government.
“I remember the morning when I had this discussion with former Prime Minister Raila Odinga. I worked with him. My name is on record. When I was at Bomas, which I don’t want to mention names like James Orengo, joined us there. I know what happened, and I do not want to go there because it is not useful.
“The only thing that informed that decision was that we cannot afford a violent and disorganised change of government in the country,” he said.
Homa Bay Violence
Tuju condemned the recent violence in Homa Bay that left several people dead and caused massive destruction of property, saying it went against the principles that informed the broad-based government.
The Broad-Based Arrangement After Raila
The debate over who should manage the relationship between ODM and President Ruto intensified after last year’s ODM@20 celebrations, when Raila’s daughter, Winnie Odinga, called for the party’s National Delegates Conference (NDC) to appoint new leaders to negotiate with President William Ruto.
“There is something I wanted to tell you. When it came to the matter of the broad-based government, the people of ODM entrusted one person with the management of that relationship. That person was Baba Raila Amolo Odinga.
“That relationship is complicated, and therefore we are looking and wondering, those who are taking it upon themselves to manage it now, are they capable of managing that relationship? I don’t think that is the question for me to answer. That is the question for the people of ODM to answer.
“That is why the party leader, why I am requesting, we need to go back to the people and have an NDC to see who the people want to pick to manage that same relationship,” she said.
Oburu did not respond immediately. He waited and chose the burial of his aunt in Alego to respond and reveal what he described as the guarded details of the broad-based arrangement.
The Chairman
Oburu later opened the lid on the arrangement by declaring that he had been chairing all the broad-based meetings between Raila and Ruto, a role that potentially made him a key negotiator in the arrangement.
“Those who are saying that Oburu is not validly elected, I challenge them. If they say it is the NDC, let us go with them to the NDC, and I will call it very soon,” he said.
Oburu said he was the one who had been chairing all the broad-based meetings between Ruto and the late Raila.
“Those who are saying Oburu does not talk are talking nonsense. In this broad-based arrangement, I want to assure those who are saying that it was only Raila who could handle it and that Oburu does not know anything about it.
“I want to tell them that all the meetings of the broad-based arrangements with Ruto, the chairman has been Oburu Odinga before you here today,” he said.
How Oburu Presided Over Broad-Based Cabinet Appointments
Dr Oburu revealed that the meeting which culminated in the appointment of ODM leaders and experts to President Ruto’s Cabinet was chaired by him.
He said he negotiated for Cabinet positions as well as the 14 Principal Secretary positions.
“I have been the chairman of the meetings, including the one which appointed Opiyo Wandayi, John Mbadi and Hassan Joho to the Cabinet.
“I want to tell you that we currently have 14 Principal Secretaries in this government and directors. We got into this government by accident because the government was shaken by Gen Z,” he said.
Secret Committee
Nyakach MP Aduma Owuor revealed that Raila had a three-member committee comprising Oburu, Wandayi and himself, which advised Raila on the broad-based arrangement.
According to Owuor, the committee helped inform and drive the arrangement.
