On 20 November 2018, the day’s political and legal agenda was crowded with Parliament, the Senate and the courts all set to handle high-stakes matters. The clearest flashpoint was the succession fight around Deputy President William Ruto, which had split Rift Valley MPs over his 2022 ambitions.
Nasa principals had urged MPs to back the Two-Thirds Gender Bill, which was sponsored by Majority Leader Aden Duale and was due for debate that day. The proposal aimed to bring at least 22 more women into Parliament through nominations.
In the education docket, Rawlings Odhiambo of Kakamega Hill School and Olive Wachira of Riara School, Nairobi, tied for first place in the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education exams with 453 marks. Their results had been released the previous day, and the turnaround was notable because reforms had cut the waiting period to 19 days after the last paper, a record compared with the old practice of releasing results after Christmas.
The Rift Valley political row was sharpening around the 2022 succession question. Eleven MPs from the region attacked Alfred Keter of Nandi Hills, Joshua Kuttuny of Cherengany and Silas Tiren of Moiben, accusing them of being used to weaken Ruto’s path to the presidency. The rival camps traded blame as maize farmers watched the dispute unfold while still hoping for better prices for their produce.
In the Senate, members were expected to vote on a report that sought to pin responsibility for the Ruaraka land saga on Interior CS Fred Matiang'i and Education PS Belio Kipsang. The County Public Accounts and Investment Committee had prepared the report, and senators were to decide whether to adopt or reject it after a debate held the previous Thursday, when many lawmakers called for action against senior government officials.
Separately, Susan Mboya, the wife of former Nairobi Governor Evans Kidero, accused the Ethics and Anti-corruption Commission of treating her as though she were part of Kidero’s property. In an affidavit filed in court, she said she had been married to Kidero for seven years and had owned several properties before that. She also maintained that she continued to acquire more assets through her own personal resources and means, unrelated to Kidero.
City Hall was also pushing a new policy that would force traders to paint kiosks green and yellow. Under the proposal, anyone seeking to erect a new kiosk would need county approval, while existing kiosks would be repainted. Structures on road reserves and other unauthorized sites would be removed as part of the plan to regulate construction and beautify the city.
For readers following the wider political and civic developments, the day’s briefing showed how 2018 debates over gender representation, land accountability, succession politics and urban regulation were all moving at once.
