This archive report was first published on 16 May 2020.
As Kenya grapples with the devastating impact of COVID-19, President Uhuru Kenyatta has begun to shake up the Jubilee Party, sparking a bitter infighting with Deputy President William Ruto's camp.
According to sources, the changes were forced through by an apparent party decision taken at State House, with a number of senators in the DP's camp boycotting the meeting.
Despite this, the decision was accepted by Senate Speaker Kenneth Lusaka, and the party boss is now seeking to eject nominated senators and further weaken the grip of the DP on the Senate.
Party Secretary-General Raphael Tuju and Vice-Chairman David Murathe have been candid that the changes are a clean-up of the party to teach Dr Ruto a lesson and deny him the vehicle as his ride to power in 2022.
The President's move is seen as a reminder to his deputy that true power resides in only one person, and that any attempt to challenge his authority is naive and dangerous.
As the game plan becomes clear, the names of those who may be targeted are known, and it is likely that we will see a stampede to court for interventions citing illegalities based on failure to follow party procedure.
However, court decisions will be ignored, and it will not be the first time. The President is still sitting on appointments of superior court judges months after the Judicial Service Commission nominated them and a court ordered that the President should appoint them.
This disregard for the law continues to be an extremely dangerous virus in our political system, tearing away any confidence the public have that they enjoy the protection of the law in case they need it.
As the infighting escalates, it is clear that the priorities of the Kenyan people are being ignored, with the focus on who controls the levers of power and their capacity to dish out privileges to less powerful kingpins.
President Kenyatta and opposition leader Raila Odinga have forged a working alliance that gives them control of the path to the presidency in 2022, and they are now bringing in useful props with name recognition to bolster their chances.
However, this game of building numbers has nothing to do with improving the lives of those Kenyans who make up the numbers, and it is unlikely that anything will be done to address the critical concerns of Kenyans in between elections.
When will these games end? Not until we find a formula to dilute the presidency to being a service centre, not an imperial court that protects the privileged.
The writer is a former Chief Editor of the Nation Media Group and is now Managing Partner for Blue Crane Global.
