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Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has publicly disclosed details of a power-sharing agreement that has thrust National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetangula and Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi into the spotlight.
The revelation, which is part of Gachagua’s defence against allegations of using the "shareholder concept" to create ethnic divisions, comes at a time when the deputy president is facing an impeachment motion accusing him of fostering national division through power-sharing.
The agreement, signed by the Kenya Kwanza coalition’s constituent parties, including UDA, ANC, and Ford Kenya, detailed a plan to allocate government positions and development projects across specific regions.
"The agreements stated that the shares each party would get in regard to appointive positions in the National Government would be commensurate with the number of MPs, Senators, and MCAs elected on each party’s ticket as a percentage of the total number of candidates elected on a Kenya Kwanza platform and the votes received as percentage of the total number of votes cast in the Presidential campaigns of the August 2022 election," Gachagua says in his defence document seen by the news desk.
According to the agreement, which Gachagua referred to in his defence, Wetangula’s Ford Kenya and Mudavadi’s ANC were guaranteed 30% of national government positions split equally between the two parties.
The listed positions included Cabinet secretaries, principal secretaries, high commissioners, ambassadors, and diplomatic consular representatives, chairpersons of state corporations, directors of state corporations, and chairpersons of constitutional commissions.
In return the ANC and Ford Kenya were to ensure that Ruto won 70% of the votes in the areas the parties have influence, some thing the DP said they were unable to achieve.
This revelation puts Speaker Wetangula in a difficult position as he presides over the ongoing impeachment proceedings against Gachagua.
As the former Ford Kenya leader, Wetangula was a direct beneficiary of the power-sharing agreement now being questioned in Parliament.
Critics argue that this creates a conflict of interest for the Speaker, given his involvement in the very deal Gachagua is being impeached for promoting.
The power-sharing deal also stipulated priority development projects in ANC and Ford Kenya strongholds, particularly in Western Kenya, between 2022 and 2027.
These projects included the construction of 1,000 kilometers of new roads and the revival of stalled sugar factories.
Gachagua defended these arrangements, insisting they were part of legitimate coalition-building efforts aimed at fostering national unity and stability, rather than divisive tactics as alleged.
“The agreements ensured equitable distribution of power and representation based on the number of elected MPs, Senators, and MCAs on a Kenya Kwanza platform,” Gachagua argued in his defence.
He also referenced historical precedents, such as the NARC coalition agreement in 2002 and the Jubilee-URP deal, to underscore that power-sharing has been a feature of Kenyan politics for years.
While the impeachment motion accuses Gachagua of using the concept of "shareholding" to promote ethnic divisions, he has firmly denied the allegations, stating that his actions were in line with coalition-building strategies and constitutional requirements.
The impeachment motion, backed by 291 MPs, has raised tensions within the Kenya Kwanza administration, with some speculating that President William Ruto’s silence on the matter could signal that he is supporting his DP's ouster.
As the impeachment proceedings continue, all eyes will be on Wetangula and how he navigates the tightrope of presiding over a motion that directly implicates him in the power-sharing controversy.
This case is expected to set a significant precedent for Kenya’s political landscape, with the outcome potentially reshaping the future of coalition politics in the country.