This archive report was first published on 5 July 2020.
President Uhuru Kenyatta has taken steps to strengthen the Jubilee Coalition ahead of the 2022 polls by appointing Adan Keynan as the Secretary of the Jubilee Coalition.
According to David Murathe, a confidante of the President, the new position will help to eliminate dissenting voices within the party and foster cohesion.
Mr. Keynan, the Eldas MP, will serve as a linkman between the party leadership and parliament, a role that was previously handled by the Office of the Leader of Government Business (Majority Leader).
Mr. Murathe explained that the new arrangement will enable Mr. Keynan to bring to the attention of the party leader any members who defy party positions and programs.
The changes are seen as a move by President Kenyatta to correct an anomaly that saw him fail to convene parliamentary group meetings due to incessant bickering within the party.
For almost two years after the 2017 General Election, it was believed that Deputy President William Ruto controlled the politics of Jubilee, leaving President Kenyatta in charge of the State.
However, President Kenyatta has since embarked on a purge, forcing many lawmakers to abandon the Deputy President and align themselves with the President.
Today, if the President 'coughs', nobody would dare challenge him in such meetings, and few would risk skipping them.
The new arrangement is borrowed from party caucuses and coordination in the US Congress, where MPs are whipped into a particular line whenever a need arises.
Mr. Keynan will also be responsible for de-whipping truant members and relaying information from party bosses to members and vice versa.
The changes saw Amos Kimunya replace Aden Duale as the Majority leader, a move that has been welcomed by political heavyweights from Northern Kenya.
Mr. Keynan's promotion has been seen as a welcome move among his colleagues, who say he is good at looking after their interests.
On Wednesday, political heavyweights from Northern Kenya led by Garissa Senator Yusuf Haji thanked President Kenyatta for Mr. Keynan's post.
Mr. Keynan has settled in office and is out to build synergy among coalition partners and party members.
He has stated that his focus will be on creating a nexus between the executive, parliament, and the party, arguing that the issues form part of the President's legacy enterprise.
